King of Corrupted Hearts
by Heart-Shaped Quill
Summary: The Embryo, an egg said to grant any wish to the person who caught it, isn't real. They, the Guardians, had found that out during their final battle with Easter. So why has an egg that fit its description made an appearance? "Embryo, grant me my wish." Oh no. "Tadase-kun!" -Various pairings, minor OC, no Tadase bashing- -BEING REWRITTEN! NEW PROLOGUE AND 1ST CHAPTER UP!-
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** This story is rated T for potentially violent battle scenes. There will be little to no swearing; the only word that will be used that might be considered swearing will be damn/damnit, which shouldn't be too much of a problem since the series used it.

Despite romance being a minor factor in this story, there will be moments between pairings that were shown in the series (Amuto, Tadamu, one-sided KairixAmu, various side pairings, etc). There is a small handful of confirmed pairings, but they will be revealed throughout the story. I hope that this isn't a concern; please be assured that this is a story for anyone, no matter what your pairing preferences may be.

It's important to note that this story follows the storyline from the manga, but will make occasional references to the anime as well. It's set after the Death Rebel arc (Chapter 43 of the manga), and occurs approximately over a year after said arc.

Finally, anything said in reviews is seen as helpful and taken into consideration. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy reading the new and improved prologue (and the rest of the story, for that matter. I can't believe I'm back to write and finally finish this story off once and for all! The re-writes come first before anything else; it will be noted in the summary when a chapter is fixed). PM me if you have any questions.

-Aimz :)

**P.S For any new readers:** As this story is currently being re-written, I don't recommend reading any chapters that have not been re-written yet (there will be a note in **bold font** at the beginning of these chapters). I mean, if you really want to read/review the old chapters then go ahead, but I don't think there is a need to. Thanks.

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**Prologue**

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**

The chemical mixture he'd prepared smelt like burnt ramen. It reminded him of many a night's dinner, or the smell of the classroom if someone brought lunch to school and it had leaked out from their bag because the lid wasn't sealed on tight enough.

Resisting the urge to dry-retch, Yuu Nikaidou poured the chemicals into a small dish and placed it into a large beaker sitting on top of a tripod. He shoved a Bunsen burner underneath it, connected it to the nearest gas tap, and bent down to retrieve the test subject from his duffel bag: a hand-sized black egg with a white cross emblazoned on it. Much to his surprise, the X-Egg didn't protest. It was placed into the beaker next to the dish and sealed inside. He turned the gas tap on, struck a match, and watched the flame crackle to life.

The school day was over, but he had every right to walk the corridors and use the science laboratory at this late hour. The keys to the room were still his until next Monday, when he was supposed to stop by Mr. Tabuchi's office first thing in the morning to hand in his final paperwork. It was unfortunate that he had been assigned the role of a science teacher; a homeroom teacher position would have been much preferred. Despite being fired from his fairly new job in Seiyo Academy's middle school department due to his lack of extensive scientific knowledge and klutzy antics, he was determined to finish his little experiments in the school's science facilities before his departure.

He tapped the glass beaker three times in succession. Still no results.

His fiancée Yukari had been fast asleep when he had snuck out of the house. It wasn't too hard a task; the woman could sleep through an earthquake if she had enough beer with her dinner. He doubted that she would wake up, but if luck was not on his side tonight, he was bound to get an earful of her rage when he got home.

"Damnit…" he muttered. The chemicals inside the beaker had reached a high enough temperature to become gas, but it had fogged up the glass entirely. So much for noting down his observations—

Finally, he got a reaction. He couldn't see what was going on inside the beaker, but he could hear the hissing getting louder and more vicious. The gas must be causing the X-Egg pain. Good, this is what he was expecting. If this experiment played out according to his theory, then he would have the Embryo in his hands before dawn.

According to the Guardians, the Embryo didn't exist. The mythical wishing egg was nothing more than a normal Heart's Egg that had been seeking its lost owner. He had tried to make one during his Easter days and failed, but this time he had a new theory. Recently he had found a stack of old notes he had written a long time ago that hinted at something that Easter didn't consider: if Guardian Characters are born from eggs, then what was happening between the event of a child conceiving a Guardian Egg and the birth of said Character? What was growing inside the egg during that time? Surely the Character must be growing inside until it matures, a Guardian Egg can't be born with nothing inside it. But what was that form? What could it do?

The hissing stopped. Yuu turned on the air conditioning, grabbed a cloth and covered his nose and mouth with it. He slowly opened the lid off the beaker, and let the chemical smoke float out and up into the air vents. When he was sure the room was completely aired out, he looked at the egg. There was a strange black puddle of tar pooled around it that slowly stopped bubbling as it started to cool down. The egg itself looked crack free, except that its markings had melted off, rendering the eggshell the colour of concrete. Touching it confirmed that it was as cold as concrete as well.

So far his theory was proving to be correct. Empty Heart's Eggs wouldn't have anything inside, that was true. But if one could _force_ them to become empty, then there would still be untapped power from the unborn Guardian Character inside it. If an unborn Character could be rendered back into an embryonic state, then that basic form of someone's dream might have enough power to lure out the Embryo.

With a grin on his face, Yuu celebrated his victory by doing a little dance. He hopped over to his bag and fished out the other X-Eggs. On another bench was a row of beakers; he placed an X-Egg into each one and skipped along. He wasn't doing anything wrong as these X-Eggs were defunct leftovers he found in Easter's main building, so the Guardians wouldn't try to track him down or accuse him of being the bad guy again. Nobody knew of his intentions and he was going to get the Embryo soon; his experiment was going to be a complete success!

"Hm, wait a minute." Yuu walked over to the bench where his equipment was set up. He peered at the egg again. How sure was he that there was something special inside this egg? And if there was one, how was he going to get it out?

Yuu's smile dropped. His shoulders slumped. He groaned, and rested his face in his hands. It was no use trying to think of a way. If an egg was smashed, whatever was inside it –Character, embryo, melted goo— would disappear along with it. There was no way of getting it out.

He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "What am I going to do now?" He looked back at the grey egg and sighed. As he observed the egg, he casually tapped the beaker with his glasses. "What secrets do you hold inside of you?" he muttered. What a stupid question. He already knew what was inside an X-Egg, he had just hoped it was something more than someone's lost childhood dream.

Yuu had had enough of this experiment. He snapped a latex glove on and grabbed the egg. "I don't really want to do this to you, but I have no need for you anymore." He placed the grey egg on the ground and raised his foot above it.

The egg zoomed away.

Yuu whipped around, looking at the egg now floating in the air by the chalkboard. "Wha—? Come back here yo—!" He made a running leap towards it, but the egg dodged. Yuu skidded along the floor, crashing into the corner and causing a life-sized model of the human body to wobble. Now beyond frustrated, he picked himself up and made another grab for the egg. It shot upwards out of reach, as if it were taunting him.

The human body model clattered when it collided against the ground. After slightly missing it, the egg darted around the room in a haphazard fashion. Where ever it flew it left behind a trail of chaos. Shards of glass were peppered amongst the metal clamps of various sizes. Stacks of blank paper were either flung around the floor or flapping against the air vents.

Yuu noticed one of the legs on the human body model had broken off. He grabbed it, but when he looked up, he noticed that the egg was gone. Damn thing must've flown out the window.

Great. This was just_ perfect_.

"Damn egg! I hope it bursts into pieces!" Before he took his frustrations out on fixing himself up and cleaning the lab, Yuu used his newly-acquired fake leg to destroy the other X-Eggs before they got the same idea. The grey egg, which was hiding behind a stack of books, waited until he was looking the other way before it flew out the open window and into the night.


	2. 1: Tadase's Negative Heart

**A note from Aimz: **I think it goes without saying that this is one of my favourite chapters. I had a lot of fun re-writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Want to check out artwork related to this chapter? Go to my profile and have a look at the links to my Deviant Art page. Got any questions? Send me a PM.

-Aimz :)

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**Chapter 1: Tadase's Negative Heart**

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The cherry blossoms were in full bloom this year. Normally, Amu would pause for a while to admire the falling pink, and reflect back on her last year and all the fun times she had had with her friends. Of course, she would be thinking about when they all chipped in to hold a surprise birthday party for her in the old Royal Garden, or when Kukai had won the soccer championship for Seiyo Academy for the second time in a row, and how they had all cheered him on. It was these small things that distracted her as she walked down the sidewalk.

When she got to Tadase's house, all those fond memories were washed away, and replaced by fresh worry. She stared at the doorbell for a while, then finally decided to press it and waited.

A cherry blossom petal touched her forehead, tangling itself with her hair in such a way that it looked more like a hair accessory, or even a part of her hair. Again, Amu pressed the doorbell, ignoring the sweat developing on her palms.

"Amu-chan should climb over the fence and see if he's home."

"That's rude-desu. We should wait until he opens the door and invites us inside."

Amu resisted every urge to snap at Miki and Suu, two of her four Guardian Charas. Normally, she wouldn't have minded their antics. Today, however, she was starting to wish that she had left them at home.

"Maybe if we yell loud enough, Kiseki will hear us!" Ran said as she shook her pom-poms above her head excitedly. "C'mon guys, let's cheer and help Amu-chan!" She flew over the stone wall. Amu could hear her shouting out to him and his chara. Suu tried to stop her, while Miki shook her head and pulled her blue cap over her eyes.

"Ran, be quiet!" Amu whispered, perhaps a little too harshly. "M-Maybe he forgot we were all meeting up today?" She started to fiddle with the hem of her skirt. Dia, her fourth Guardian Chara, was dozing on her owner's shoulder and didn't notice.

Suu floated over to Amu and placed a little hand on her owner's shoulder. "Maybe he's distracted and can't hear you-desu?" she asked.

Miki flew over to the intercom and pressed the doorbell for the third time. No answer. "Yeah, he should have greeted us at the gate by now." Miki flew up so she could see the front view of Tadase's traditional Japanese home. "Something's up," she said.

Amu looked down at her feet, her fingers still playing with the skirt's fabric. _Think…_ she had called her best friend Rima at her house this morning, to make sure that the Guardian meeting was still scheduled for today. As it was her duty as the Queen's Chair she had reassured her that it indeed was and that as far as she knew Tadase hadn't cancelled it. He hadn't been answering anyone's calls for days, even to receive happy birthday wishes. If they called his home, his mother would answer and politely say that he wasn't home or that he wasn't up to talking to anyone at the moment, and if they tried to confront him face-to-face, they would be met with silence.

Perhaps his parents weren't home. His mother would've gotten fed up of the doorbell ringing more than twice.

The last time Amu had seen Tadase, he was cold and detached, very unlike his usual warm and friendly self. She was here at his house before the Guardians afternoon meeting to find out why, so they could hopefully resolve whatever the problem was and start their second year of middle school with nothing but happy thoughts.

Being here also meant coming to an understanding about… what they last talked about. Thinking about it gave her a sick feeling in her stomach.

She looked at her watch. The other Guardians weren't due to arrive for another hour. Perhaps she should come back later when she was feeling—

"Amu-chan!"

Seeing nothing but Ran's pink eyes gave Amu a fright. She jumped and made a startled "ahgh!" noise. Dia fell off Amu's shoulder, and Miki and Suu swooped in and grabbed her. Dia yawned and blinked sleepily.

"I sense an X-Egg!" Ran said.

"Eh? Where?" Amu asked.

"In Tadase's backyard!"

She hadn't seen an X-Egg in months. Of all the times to run into one!

"Ran, character change!" A heart hair clip magically replaced her cross one, and a pair of wings appeared on her black boots. She vaulted over the wall with ease, and dashed down the path to the backyard.

Tadase's backyard was framed by a lot of trees. His father must have planted more trees; the way they hid the fences made the area reminiscent of a secret grotto she had read about in a fairy tale when she was a young girl. The grass looked very well-kept and was cut short. Off to the side there was a small pond lined with traditional ornaments, where the Hotori family kept a small shoal of koi fish.

Tadase was sitting side on by the koi-pond. His face was partly hidden by blonde hair that looked like it needed a wash. He seemed transfixed by the brightly-coloured fish swimming around in the pond.

"Tadase-kun!"

An X-Egg floated up from behind Tadase's bent knee, and hovered beside him. Like most X'ed Heart's Eggs, it was black and tainted with a white X. However, a powder blue egg with a crown symbol imprinted on its front was still visible underneath the darkened façade. Amu knew that egg's design all too well and who the owner of it was. "Oh no… Tadase-kun!"

"Kiseki!" her charas called out.

The egg didn't move, nor did Tadase. Amu touched the familiar, golden lock hanging around her neck. She had not needed to use its power for a long time; she hoped that it would still work.

He turned his face to look at her. Instead of being met with a kind smile, she saw an emotionless expression and darkened magenta eyes; eyes that showed no light, but sucked it in. Eyes that appeared weary, like they had given up.

This couldn't be happening. He was the last person she knew that would succumb to doubts in their dreams.

"Amu-chan, watch out! That's not a normal X-Egg!" Dia said.

"What do you mean, Dia?" Amu said.

"Kiseki's egg is radiating a dark aura. Can't you feel it?" Amu wasn't sure what Dia meant by that.

"Useless..."

Tadase's words were nothing more than a hoarse whisper that reached Amu's ears.

"Everything's... useless..."

Amu ran over to her friend and took hold of his shoulders, shaking him lightly. "Tadase-kun! S-Snap out of it! Believe!" She stopped shaking him and let her hands fall to her sides. His hands flopped down to the ground, like a ragdoll's. She took his hands with her own and fiddled with them, watching her fingers rub against his palms. "Tadase—"

Suddenly, Tadase gasped. Kiseki's X'ed egg was looming above Tadase's head like the Grim Reaper. The negative emotions were too much for his owner to handle; Tadase shuddered and fell into Amu's arms.

"Tadase-kun!" The sudden blood rush to her face nearly put her off guard. Calming down, Amu noticed that his eyes were closed, and while his body was limp, he was still breathing. She stood up again and turned to face Kiseki's X'ed egg.

"I'm useless." Tadase's thoughts called out to Amu as if from a distance. "I can't help my friends. I… I'm not strong enough."

"That's not true!" Amu said.

"I'm too dependent on others. No one can rely on me."

This was going to be difficult. Time for her to transform with the Humpty Lock—

"I-I'm sorry everyone!" The X-Egg fired dark energy with the full force of Tadase's words at Amu, hitting her and knocking her back into a tree.

"How can I be a true king if I cannot lead?"

The egg—now glowing with dark energy—floated over towards Tadase's body. It cracked and Amu could see a pair of dark blue eyes looking out from inside. They stared down at Tadase, before closing its egg and moving closer to his heart.

"… help …"

There was a small flash, and the egg was gone.

Amu had never heard an owner of an X-Egg ask for help. What did it mean?

"M-My heart… unlock."

A dark light engulfed Tadase's body. Amu held an arm up in defence from the wind that had started to act up. His eyes were still closed when he said those words.

Once the light died down and the wind calmed, Tadase opened his eyes. Much to Amu's surprise, he stood up and spoke. "Character transformation: Darkened King."

"A… a character transformation with an X'ed chara?" Amu muttered. It wasn't be impossible; she recalled the time when Utau had transformed with her-then X'ed chara Dia. But this was the first time she had seen an X'ed chara transform with their owner. She didn't think it would be possible; why would someone want to become something that was the opposite of their would-be self?

_Tadase-kun…_

Ran floated over to her owner. "Amu-chan! We need to character transform!"

"Right! My heart, unlock!" The words activated the Humpty Lock hanging around her neck, and with its help she quickly transformed into the cheerleader form of Amulet Heart. It felt strange being in a short skirt and cropped vest again, with her pink hair up in a high ponytail like Ran's. She pushed the somewhat nostalgic feeling away for now, and brought herself back to the talk at hand.

"T-This is me." Tadase averted his eyes, dropping his voice as he eyed his reflection in the pond. "My pitiful, weak self." Amu could hear sadness, but the bitterness that he spat out drowned it.

"That isn't true!"

"Yes it is. Don't _you_ stand there and try to hide the truth from me!" The sudden anger in his voice startled her. Tadase narrowed his eyes at Amu and pointed his sceptre at her. Immediately, black and blue energy started to gather and crackle at the silver-coloured tip.

"Tadase-kun!"

"Royal Storm!" The collected energy shot forward as a bolt of electricity, heading straight for Amu.

Quickly adapting to her long-time used form, Amu whipped out a set of pink pom-poms and quickly held them out in front of her, protecting her from the electric attack. Despite the protection, she was pushed back, leaving behind a trail of earth from her feet. When it fizzled out the pom-poms disappeared and she looked at Tadase again.

"Tadase-kun ... please, stop!" she begged. She couldn't bear to see him like this. Tadase responded by letting loose another blast of lightning. Amu jumped out of the way, but it grazed the side of her leg, causing her to yelp in pain.

Tadase smiled. He didn't think he would hit his target.

Amu had tossed herself to the ground once she had been hit, but she quickly rose back up to her feet. She grimaced at the mild burn on her ankle; there was no doubt that his attack was powerful. She needed to heal him, and get the complete story of why in the heck he was feeling so miserable.

"Everyone has moments in their life when they feel like they don't have the strength to—"

"D-Don't try to reassure me with lies." He sounded like he was trying to be assertive, but the last word quavered a little.

"You need to hear this!" She remembered back to a time when something similar but far from this had happened. Amu drew from the past and recalled the words she had spoken to the then doubtful, twelve year old Tadase. "Please, believe in yourself! Your true, gentle self!" She threw her right arm out to the side and held out her hand, in which her trusted Heart Rod solidified. She really didn't want to resort to this, but if it was going to help her purify him then so be it.

"B-Being gentle means being weak, and I—"

"You're not weak at all Tadase-kun. We love you for who you are: kind, polite and always willing to stand up for a friend!" The words tumbled out without much thought. Regardless, everything she had said was true. Tadase must have known that deep down; her words seemed to be affecting him. She swung her arm backwards, and raised the pink rod above her head. "Spiral Hea—!"

"I don't believe you!"

Amu stopped mid-attack. Her arm fell down to her side, she dropped the Heart Rod and it disappeared. Normally, this was the part when her words would help the person realize that they weren't so useless after all; she only wanted to trap him as a precaution.

Her confidence disappeared as something came to mind; perhaps it was about that conversation after all?

"There is nothing you can say to try and convince me. This is what I'll always be: a weak excuse for a king, unable to help others. I'm not good e-enough. Y... Y-You..."

There were tears sitting in Tadase's eyes. He swiped them away before Amu found a chance to notice them and use them against him.

"You think I'm _useless_!" A huge wave of negative energy hit Amu. This time she stumbled and collapsed onto her knees.

"N-No I don't… I don't think that!"

So she was suffering because he didn't believe her. Just as well. Hurting people was the only thing Tadase was good at, after all.

Suddenly Tadase stumbled, clutching his left side. "Uah." Something was burning at his side, eating at him, but it didn't last. Whatever pain that surged through him had subsided just as quickly as it had come. Tadase regained his composure and stood back up. He raised his sceptre high up to the sky and called out, "King's Summoning!"

Amu blinked back the unwanted tears. It would do either one of them any good if she showed any sign of giving up. She looked up to see that Tadase's attack had drawn a large amount of X-Eggs closer to him. "Useless, useless..." they chanted as they circled freely around Tadase.

"How could you?" Amu asked.

Tadase waved his sceptre around aimlessly. With each movement an X-Egg followed behind it. They were under his complete control. "Weak. They're weaker than me," he said, ignoring Amu.

"You help me save children's dreams, not X them!"

"Not anymore. X-Eggs, attack!" He swung his sceptre down to point at Amu, and the X-Eggs ceased their dance. They stood still, and let out a brutal battle-cry that caused Amu's charas to cringe. Without extra encouragement from their controller they charged at their target.

"Heartspeeders!" In an instant, the winged skates formed on Amu's feet, and she launched off into the sky, narrowly missing the X-Eggs. That was close. She looked down below, where Tadase was standing. He looked up at her, she stared back. Naturally, her hands moved to form a heart-shape with her fingers. Maybe from here she could—

"Useless!" Amu moved her legs quickly before the X-Egg hit her. As quickly as that one had come, another one just narrowly missed her face as it whizzed past her nose. The more she dodged, the faster they seemed to appear. They were coming from all directions; it was getting harder and harder to avoid them. She looked back at Tadase. He was moving his sceptre more confidently now, as if he were a conductor to his orchestra.

Without warning, an X-Egg smashed into her from behind, knocking Amu in the back. The rushing wind was so loud she couldn't hear herself scream. She fell through the sky, and landed splayed out on the grass.

"Amu-chan!" her charas exclaimed.

Amu shuddered as she struggled to get herself back up onto her now Heartspeeder-less feet again. She glanced around at the amount of X-Eggs floating above Tadase, some of them hiding amongst the trees. This wasn't as bad as anything she had faced in the past. She had fought and purified masses upon masses of X-Eggs, some that had enough power to form larger versions of themselves. This situation couldn't compare, as this time the person responsible just… wasn't a person she didn't want to fight. Her first thought was to call the other Guardians for assistance. Surely, together as a team, they should be able to save their leader.

"Amu-chan, maybe you should character transform with me?" Dia said.

Tadase wasn't paying attention to what Amu was doing; he was focused on experimenting with the X-Eggs, moving them around and seeing what exactly he could do with them. But then something at the top of the black masses caught his eye. "It can't be?"

"W-Wha—?" Amu had just finished transforming into the sparkling futuristic idol that was Amulet Diamond when she looked up to see that the presence of the vast amount of Heart's eggs had unexpectedly attracted one egg. A certain egg that sparkled and shimmered with the power to grant any wish, the one egg she thought never existed. "T-The Embryo?"

Tadase looked at Amu again. Shaking his head, he looked back up at the egg that was making its presence known. There was that small smile on his face again; this one didn't fade as quickly as his last ones did. He gathered the energy into his legs and leapt up towards the egg.

"No way!" Miki said.

"He's going to get the Embryo-desu!" Suu said.

"Wait!" Amu launched herself into the air. She didn't want him to reach whatever that egg was, especially while he was in this condition. Amu's flight speed overtook Tadase's jump in no time. Seeing the egg getting closer, she held her hands out.

Before she could lay one finger on it, it shot up into the air. For a normal Heart's Egg, it sure was cheeky. Tadase landed back on the ground after he missed.

"The Embryo is mine!" Tadase yelled.

Amu turned around, but the egg was gone. "Eh! Where did it go?"

"Over there, Amu-chan!" Ran pointed to the left. It was moving slowly away, as if it had realized its mistake and was now trying to make a quiet getaway.

"Hey!" If the egg had a face, it would have definitely been startled by Amu's voice. It took one look at her, and then zoomed off towards the hoard of X-Eggs. "Eh?"

"Go get it, Amu-chan!" Ran waved her pom-poms as she cheered from the sidelines with her sisters.

"Cut me some slack guys! I'm still getting used to this!"

"It hasn't been that long since you fought X-Eggs, Amu-chan." Amu didn't hear Miki; she was already flying down towards the black eggs. The shiny egg was darting amongst them all like it was a young child in a playground.

"Royal Storm!"

"Ah!" Amu almost did the splits in mid-air, narrowly missing Tadase's attack. He was standing right below her, one eye watching her and another on that egg.

She held her hands out to the group of X-Eggs. "Twinkle Hold!" The attack froze the X-eggs inside a golden sphere of stars. That should level the playing field. She edged towards the X-eggs—now floating quietly—and started to approach the egg. _I've gotta get this! Please egg, don't run away from me! _

"Royal Storm!"

This time, she wasn't fast enough. This time the attack sent Amu flying through the trees and crash landing into the garden in the backyard next door. Thankfully, no one was home to see the mess or hear the ruckus.

Amu pulled a few twigs out of her pigtailed hair. "Ow…" She touched her back tenderly and tried not to think of the bruises that would be there soon. Her outfit was more of a dull yellow and dirty white than a bright yellow and solid white now, and there were open tears on her sleeves where she could see a few scratches. Rest was looking more and more tempting… but no, she had to keep fighting. _I'm not giving up._

That sparkly egg wasn't in the sky anymore. Perhaps it had flown off to find its owner, like when they discovered that the Embryo they had been pursuing was nothing more than a normal Heart's Egg, driven out by its owner, the then-boss of the Easter Company. Since then there had never been another egg like it, until today.

Was it just her imagination, or was it so much quieter now? Even the X-Eggs weren't chanting anymore.

Her back was very sore. _But, I must_—

Hold on. If an egg they all thought was an Embryo but wasn't was showing up again, that couldn't mean—

No.

The Embryo was said to grant any wish to the person who caught it. It sparkled and had no markings, different from any other normal Heart's Egg. The Embryo was magical. The Embryo was supposed to be a myth. They, the Guardians, had proved that during their final battle with Easter. It didn't exist.

So why has an egg that fit its description made an appearance?

"Embryo, grant me my wish." Tadase whispered.

Oh no.

"Tadase-kun!"

Amu quickly jumped the fence and through the bushes. She saw the X-Eggs looking down at Tadase, who was standing in the middle of the backyard, holding out at arm's length what she knew now as—

He was enveloped in a curtain of light so intense it was sparkling white. The Embryo floated out of Tadase's hands and turned to face him, bobbing up and down as if it were acknowledging him. Amu tried desperately to see what was going on, but could only manage to squint into its depths without her eyes straining. Tadase was standing with his arms outstretched, and the Embryo floated over to him and absorbed into his body.

The white curtain fell. It wrapped itself around Tadase, causing him to take on a yellow glow. Sparkles spouted on him from head to toe, and he fell to his knees.

"Tadase-kun!" Amu watched with horror as his sparkling body began to convulse. It changed from yellow to gold to black, and still he wriggled and writhed on the grass. Overwhelmed, he yelled and threw his head back and closed his eyes, relaxing his body and allowing the Embryo to work its magic on him. A beam of white light shot out from his heart and hit the sky, where it spread out over the entire world in a blanket of glitter. Electric sounds seemed to crackle around them. Lights flashed, sparkles spread—

The Embryo's magic glittered in the sky, and faded away just as quickly as it had appeared. She looked on helplessly, unsure if what she had just seen had happened or not. Her charas voices were nothing more than constant echoes; her frantic conscience trying to motivate her to do something, anything.

Tadase groaned into the ground. His body was hunched over, exhausted. He only noticed now that he had been gripping the grass so tightly he had pulled it out. Slightly dazed, he hesitantly stood up and looked down at his dirty hands. At first he wasn't sure if what he'd done had happened, or even if it worked.

And then he felt _it_.

_It_ was there inside of him, bubbling at his heels. It was a freshly-brewed potion that consisted of the Embryo and his desires, that was only now starting to create a chemical reaction. The sensation was only small at first, but it increased at a fast pace as the two ingredients collided and mixed together. It was moving well past his knees now. It kept rising, with no signs of stopping, to the point where he felt like he was going to get dizzy again. It was moving up his back to his shoulders, up his neck, through his face. Now _it_ saturated him,_ it_ was a part of him, he—

He could feel a small smile spreading across his face.

Clutching the small of her back with one hand, Amu hoisted herself up and took a few hesitant steps closer to Tadase, whose back was facing towards her. The pain hindered her and forced her to stop.

"Y-You don't need to do any of this, Tadase-k—"

His body tensed up at the mere mention of his name. He spoke a soft, "Heh."

One arm fell to rest at his side, his hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"Heh."

His fist relaxed.

"T...That's..."

His words were cut off by silence. Amu broke it by taking a step forward, but stopped herself going further when she saw him glaring over his shoulder at her. Wordlessly he summoned his sceptre and turned around, his cape caught in the wind and floating behind him like a ghost.

"That is _King_ Tadase to you now." In one swift movement he pointed the sceptre at Amu and fired a shot of dark energy at her. She was knocked off her feet and sent flying into Tadase's house, leaving behind an Amu-shaped hole in the papered wall.

"C'mon Amu-chan, get up!" Ran shouted. Miki and Suu flew over to Amu's side and offered words of encouragement, but it was no use. She lay slumped against the wall, unable to pick herself up.

"We need to reverse that wish!" Miki said.

"Character transform with me-desu!" Suu pleaded.

Tadase turned away, and placed a hand to his heart. "Kiseki, are you okay?" he whispered. There was no response from his chara, although this didn't worry him. _It_ was itching to be used. He had to try something else, to see if he really was—

Gripping his sceptre, he pointed it at a nearby tree. "Royal Storm!" The bolt—now brighter and bigger—hit the tree, splitting it across the middle and sending it crashing to the ground. A slight, smouldering wood smell reached his nostrils; hm, perfect. He then eyed the koi pond. Amu reached out, but it was in vain once the attack connected, causing water and koi fish to go flying everywhere, and the ornaments to be reduced to scattered ashes.

"I...W-What can I do?" Amu said. Nothing. _I can't stop this._

Suddenly, the Humpty Lock's light dimmed to nothing. Amulet Diamond shattered, and Amu found herself back in her normal clothes.

"I'm sorry, Amu-chan," Dia said once she was rejected from Amu's heart. "Your radiance…" She frowned and looked away. Amu didn't take notice.

All was quiet again. Tadase turned his back on his test subjects and walked out into the middle of the yard. There was just one more thing he wanted to do. "And now, for my first proclamation!" He pointed his sceptre up towards the sky once more. "Every citizen will see this world as I want them to see it: colourless!"

"C…Colourless?" Amu muttered to herself. The other Guardians have to come to her aid now, before this got any worse. Maybe there was a small chance of undoing all this if they all just talked to him? Hopefully they were on their way; surely they saw the Embryo's glitter lightshow? Or were they indoors at their respective homes? She couldn't take any chances. Amu fumbled for her phone and mashed a random key. She didn't know whose number she had speed dialled, but it didn't matter.

"Yo, this is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Leave a message after the beep."

Ugh! Of all the people to call, it had to be the one that wasn't even in the country! _Just my luck!_ She didn't have much time to hang up and try someone else; he would have to do.

_Beep._

"Ikuto, you need to get help for me! It's Tadase-kun! He's—"

Electric energy pushed the phone out of her hand. Amu cried out, the right side of her head throbbing with agony. The phone was lying somewhere by the new hole Tadase had just made, broken into unrecognisable pieces. She held her head in her hands, wishing that this wasn't really happening. When she looked up, she saw Tadase standing in front of her with his X-Eggs floating behind him, the sharp point of his sceptre hovering dangerously close to her face.

"You dare to defy me now, commoner?"

She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but her pale face reflected back at her. What would he do if she resisted? Would she be able to handle it?

"N-No..." Amu could feel her body failing. Whatever was left of her willpower was wearing thin. She struggled to keep her eyes open.

No, this couldn't happen to her! She was the Joker! Her job was to purify those X-Eggs and save children from their doubts! She couldn't let this happen, let alone to one of her closest friends!

_But..._

The life was draining out of everything around her: the grass, the house, the sky. And Tadase was walking out into it…

"Yes that's right, let it spread. Coat this world, my world in eternal—"

Sleep consumed Amu before the colourless wave ever did.

* * *

**Last-minute disclaimer:** I'm not responsible for any nightmares this chapter may have caused!

-Aimz ;)


	3. 2: The Chase is On

**A note from Aimz: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEMI-OLD CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ/REVIEW JUST YET. RE-WRITE IS COMING SOON.**

* * *

**.~.~.**

**Chapter 2: The Chase is On**

**.~.~.  
**

Ikuto prepared himself. Without any extra urging, a pair of cat ears materialized from his head to symbolize that the character change had been initiated. With a flick of his tail and a powerful kick against the building's roof he leapt up high into the air, towards the tall and significant-looking cathedral adjacent to him. The jump proved to be effortless, and he landed flawlessly on the cathedral's roof.

Taking a breath, the teenager lifted his head to look up at the towering spire positioned in the middle. He again gathered all the power into his legs and bounded upwards with ease. He landed at the spire's base; satisfied at this height, Ikuto took a seat on a small ledge next to one of the smaller spires and looked out at the city. Much to his dismay, all he could see was nothing but a full-scale version of what he had perceived earlier.

Yoru, Ikuto's guardian chara, floated over to his shoulder and sat on it. "I never thought Tadase would be capable either-nya."

Ikuto welcomed the silence he could never get from down below. It allowed him to hear his own thoughts.

The bleak scenery surrounding him from all directions was more than enough proof. Everything and anything that came into view, including himself and anyone else that he saw, was a different shade of grey. Despite the fact that there was life in the world, it seemed to demonstrate the opposite effect; everything he could see would have been better off lifeless. The large metropolis below him couldn't retain true life if it had no colour, no matter how bustling with energy it was.

_But how? He must've found the Embryo._

He had seen enough; enough to know, enough to not care. Ikuto got to his feet and, after looking out at the city once more, jumped down from the gothic-style spire and back onto the roof. He made sure no-one else was around, before he jumped down into the lively street.

_Why did he do this?_

There was only similar thoughts' repeating through Ikuto's head constantly as he strolled down the path towards the middle of the city. Once he crossed the road, he walked past a giant glass cube-shaped landmark and took notice to his reflection. His appearance was dull; not lifeless, but colourless. Like everything else. Ignoring this, he turned around and leant back against the building, and let himself get consumed by his thoughts once more.

_Why did he do this?_

_..._

_Where is Amu? Is she with him? Did she try to stop him? Did she get hurt?_

_..._

_Did he wish for the world to be colourless?_

_What the hell is going on!_

Ikuto placed his hands in his pockets and sighed. He had missed out on a lot, hadn't he? Perhaps too much.

_I could have stopped him somehow..._

He looked over across the road at the short flight of steps leading up to a traditional-looking train station situated there. Seeing the colourless cars in motion zoom past him, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm dreaming all of this, aren't I?"

Yoru looked up at the sky. "I don't think this is a dream-nya... He really did wish on the Embryo."

_Embryo... Amu..._

Then the phone message came back to Ikuto's mind. Amu's distressed cry for help, her voice straining over the long distance to beg for his aid; he knew then that this was real.

Ikuto stared up at the greyscale sky once more, before glancing down at his feet. He had seen a few posters on some of the buildings to confirm this, that the boy who called him a brother was now controlling the world. And the ashen environment...it pained him to think that Tadase, of all people, was the cause of all this. He clenched his hands into fists and looked ahead of him.

"Tadase... If he hurt Amu..."

No, he shouldn't think that. He didn't want to think that. How could he think that about Tadase of all people? He had thought that Tadase had matured enough to banish those bizarre desires from existence, despite the humorous character change. Maybe he had thought wrong... Had Tadase been planning this all along, to wish against Amu's pleading? Why would he hurt her like that? What had happened in his absence? He wished he knew the answers...but he didn't.

It wouldn't do him any good to second-guess the possibilities that may have brought on this outcome. It was hurting his head too much.

Looking away from the train station, Ikuto continued on his way to Union Circle. Once he had gotten to the concrete plaza that was situated in the middle of the city, he sat on the cold stone steps outside the glass building and quietly observed his surroundings.

_I need to hear her again. Just once, to be sure. _Ikuto pulled out his mobile phone, placing it to his ear and hitting the button to call the voicemail service. He strained his ears once more to listen to the last message he got from her.

The message started as it always did, with Amu's heavy breathing escaping in short gasps down the phone. He didn't care for any other background noises; he strained to hear his girl, _his_ Amu.

"Ikuto! Help! H-He's gone insane! I-I never thought he would be capable, but—"

A crackling of electrical static cut across her message, mixing with and silencing Amu's scream completely, followed by that dreadful dial tone.

~Beep.

"To replay the message, press 1..." Ikuto did as the automatic voice recording said.

"Ikuto! Help! H-He's gone insane! I-I never thought he would be capable, but—"

~Scream. Crackle.

~Beep.

"To replay the mess—"

"Ikuto! Help! H-He's gone insane! I-I never thought he would be capable, but—"

He had heard it enough. With a sigh, Ikuto pressed the button to end the call and placed his phone back in his pants pocket.

"What are we going to do, Ikuto-nya?"

Ikuto turned to look his chara, a look of disbelief present in his eyes. He then smiled. Even though things were totally messed up at the moment, he was glad to have the little cat's company after losing him some time ago. "What do you think?"

Yoru didn't need to question his owner. He knew he was going to save Amu if she was in any trouble, and hopefully get to the bottom of Tadase's actions in the process.

"Kiddy King may or may not have Amu with him. Either way, I have to go back; I want to know why he did this, and what happened to him."

"You don't think he could have Amu with him-nya?"

"I don't know, but if he does…well, I can't just leave the little damsel in distress now, can I?" Ikuto smiled a little as he fleetingly thought of that one final night they spent at the abandoned amusement park before his departure two years ago. When she fell off the horse on the merry-go-round and he caught her before she landed, the expression on her face was a good memory to him. He quickly shook those thoughts away.

Yoru remained silent, his thoughts lying with that blue, artistic chara of Amu's; Miki to be exact. He hoped that she was okay, along with her owner.

"Let's go, Yoru." Ikuto placed his hands on the steps and proceeded to stand up—

"Stop! Freeze!"

Ikuto halted in his movements, and turned abruptly towards the voice. He looked over to see a man in his mid-twenties, clad in a professional-looking uniform, running towards him. He was followed by two identically-dressed adults, one male, the other being female; however both were perhaps five years older. The three adults all bore the same stern facial expression, intensified by a steely glare in their eyes. He stared at the fast-approaching trio. What could they possibly want?

"You are under arrest!" the leading man called out.

_Arrest?_ Ikuto was lucky to have learnt enough English on his travels to understand what these Australians were saying. But arrest? What had he done? When the leading man was close enough, Ikuto noticed that he was in fact, a policeman.

"What is the problem, officer?" Ikuto said, in broken English. He was getting better at speaking the language since first learning it, but he wasn't exactly fluent with it yet. However, the officers seemed not to care. With a look of glee that had appeared on his face, the young leader sped forward and swiftly grabbed Ikuto by his wrists.

"What th—?" The clinking sound of metal handcuffs interrupted Ikuto's protest. The man tightened his grip on Ikuto's wrists and brought him down onto the concrete, grinning triumphantly as he held up the cuffs with his free hand. Ikuto winced silently in the man's hold on him.

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi! You are under arrest for..." A confused look suddenly replaced the one of exhilaration, and the officer turned to his colleagues for support. "What did he do again?"

The woman sighed and shook her head. She was clearly fed up of this beginner officer's lack of knowledge and his recent promotion already. "It doesn't matter. He is under arrest for committing an offence."

"Uh, what offence would that be?" Ikuto asked as politely as he could. The hinted sarcasm was picked up by the policemen and woman.

"You will remain silent!" the other male officer said as the younger leader proceeded to handcuff Ikuto.

"Ikuto!" Yoru cried out. Ikuto couldn't believe this. Had his quest ended before it had begun?

"Guys, can you give me a hand with these things? They're stuck!" It seemed that the young male was having trouble with operating the steel restraints. The woman let out another frustrated sigh as she approached her inexperienced supervisor to help him with the equipment, while the other man kept an eye on Ikuto.

Yoru floated down to his owner, concerned. Ikuto glanced over his shoulder quickly at the two distracted law enforcements, and the other one watching him. He gave a slight nod to his chara; he knew if he was going to do this, he would have to do it fast.

"Hey! What are you—?"

Despite the older man trying to tackle him to the ground, Ikuto had quickly rolled out of the way to the side and swiftly stood up back up onto his feet.

"Get back down on the ground, otherwise we'll open fire! ...Right?" The woman officer rolled her eyes at the young policeman's words. But that was the least of her concerns; the thing that she was concentrating on now was that this man who had committed a felony now had cat-like features that had appeared from nowhere on him.

"Sorry to trouble you officers. I normally would stay, but I don't think I need to be here anymore, do you?" And with that, Ikuto jumped up onto the glass cube's roof.

"Great, another one?"

"Quick! Get him!"

Ikuto rolled his eyes. He didn't have time to socialize with the police over what is probably a big misunderstanding. He jumped off on the other side, and started running down the street. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he knew one thing; he had to lose those officers!

Meanwhile, another boy watched Ikuto run up the street with the police…

"Yoru!" But the chara change wasn't initiated like it had once been. "Yoru!" He stopped and looked back to see that his chara had floated off to the side, distracted by a small shop that sold fish.

Ikuto gave an exasperated sigh and ran back for him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Grabbing some fish!"

"There's no time for tha—"

A shot was fired and a bullet went speeding past Ikuto, missing him by centimetres. His eyes widened at the closeness he had come to being hit.

"Ah, so that's how you use these things!" he heard the young officer say in fascination.

Ikuto turned and jogged off in the opposite direction, Yoru flying up close behind him. He quickly chara changed and leapt up onto one of the buildings.

"Where did he go?"

"I could have sworn he jumped onto that building!"

"That's just not possible!"

Ikuto gave a quick sigh of relief and ran along the building's rooftops. Soon enough he spotted a gap ahead of him and jumped down into it. Big mistake.

He had jumped down into an alleyway, which ended in a dead end. There was no way out for him; the building he had jumped down from was too high to jump back up to even in his character change, and there were no ledges for him to jump onto to help him. "Crap..." Ikuto muttered.

"There he is! Get him!"

Ikuto turned around to see the trio of officers standing at the opening to the passage, the head officer pointing at him. The troubled teen scanned the areas either side of him; he was definitely trapped.

"Damnit!" Ikuto cursed under his breath as the officers started to approach him. He braced himself. Maybe once they got close enough, he could slip through before they—

"Hey, losers! Wouldn't you prefer to get me instead?"

The trio of officers halted and turned around to face the voice. Ikuto looked over at the person. He was a boy, perhaps a few years younger than him judging from his height. He stood with one arm propped up against the wall of the alleyway, casually looking at the group with a mischievous twinkle present in his grey eyes.

"Well?" he said with as he brushed aside his side-fringe, only for it to fall back over his right eye again. A small jeans chain hung from his left pocket. Ikuto noticed that the male gave the officers a look that dared them to come and get him, if they took it upon themselves to do so.

The older male officer was the first to speak. "Oh, get out of here! We haven't got the time to deal with you today!" he said with annoyance.

"Eh? Who's this?" the young leading officer asked. Clearly he had never seen this teenager before in his life.

"Someone's who's been a constant nuisance to the police force." his female companion confirmed.

"Ouch, that's a bit harsh, considering I haven't done much to you. What's with the new guy? Did the old one get sick of me?"

Ikuto resisted the urge to snort, and instead raised an eyebrow. _Who the hell was this kid?_

"Are you working with him?" the officer said, jerking a thumb back at Ikuto.

"Huh? Why should I tell you when you take my rights?"

Smiling, the boy took his hand away from the wall, his eyes never leaving the young officer. Ikuto could tell that he was up to something, but what?

The older male tapped his younger superior on the shoulder. "Uh, sir? The other criminal!"

_Crap, had to put the attention back on me didn't he? _Ikuto thought. _Wait...did that officer's hat just move?_

"Hey!" The young male officer looked up to see that his flat police cap had magically flown off his head and towards the other teenager, who grabbed it out of the air.

"Ikuto! I sense another chara-nya!" Yoru whispered. Ikuto gave his chara a small nod, understanding his words. Meanwhile, the boy gave the officers a taunting grin and stuck his tongue out at them, before sprinting off around the corner with the policeman's hat on his head.

The leader stared after him, irritation evident on his pouting face. "After him! He's got my hat!" With that order the three officers ran around the corner, and Ikuto was left alone in the alleyway, completely forgotten.

_What...just happened? _Ikuto walked over to the passageway's entrance and looked down the now-busy street. He saw no sign of the other male or the three officers that were now chasing him. He had to hand it to the stranger; he had saved him from imprisonment. But why was he wanted by the police in the first place?

That didn't matter now. But he was lucky.

When he was sure that the coast was clear again, the Japanese young adult strolled out into the street and lost himself in a moving crowd of grey-suited businessmen and women heading to their current places of employment. He stared out ahead of him, his mind looking back on what had happened and using that to form a goal in his mind. Soon enough that goal took into consideration the image of a certain pink-haired girl in obvious pain, and a certain blonde whose smiles must of been a lie all this time if he had done this.

_Amu... Tadase..._

His target was set; his mind set on his beloved girl, the goal left his lips in nothing more than a murmur to his chara: "I need to get out of this country, and fast."


	4. 3: Forced to Serve

**A note from Aimz: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS OLD CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ/REVIEW JUST YET. RE-WRITE IS COMING SOON.**

* * *

**.~.~.**

**Chapter 3: Forced to Serve**

**.~.~.**

Tokyo had changed significantly in the last four months. From a distance, it seemed no longer inhabitable by mankind or any source of life. However, this was nothing but a melancholy disguise it had taken upon itself, as if to hide the truth. Because here there was indeed the existence of people; not many, but it was still present. The remaining citizens were not living in fear, but living in forced solitude and under strict limitations. The streets ran down silent roads. The town's walkways were littered with shattered glass and rubbish fluttering across with only a slight breeze pushing it along. Overall the area was filled with a deathly silence; it usually was.

There were two buildings that continued to hide behind a greyscale camouflage. One of these buildings was a small greenhouse situated within the grounds of Seiyo Academy; known to one and all as the Royal Garden. The building had been used mainly by the Seiyo Academy Guardians for secret meetings once upon a time, when the area was a time of happiness, laughter, and the always present paperwork to complain about. No longer was this true; it now was eerily peaceful, to suit its outer surroundings with its glass panels neglected and covered in a coating of grey dirt.

Inside the building was a different matter. If one looked past the outer shell and ventured forth into the quiet greenhouse, they would find that the room was in fact one of the only rooms in the world that had managed to retain its colour. Lush, flowering greenery and sparkling glass walls surrounded a raised, shaded platform in the middle of the room. But the vibrant interior was nothing compared to what it had been in the past.

"This isn't him, we already know that much."

"But if that's true, how has this outer façade of his remained for four months? Furthermore, what happened to him that allowed him to get possessed by his X-ed chara egg?"

"We've had this talk before—

"Yes, but it has been on your mind constantly, hasn't it?"

The area was currently occupied by four young adolescents, two of which remained unresponsive. The other two, both male, sat on opposite sides of a rectangle-shaped table. They were both discussing the same topics they usually did when they had a chance like this. It was, after all, their only chance to.

"I guess we'll never know at this rate." The brunette leaned back on his chair slightly and put his hands behind his head. He, out of all of them, was probably the most used to it; he, after all, had been in Nagihiko's position for years. But even for him, doing it for four straight months ... despite that, he had to keep faithful. It was the least he could do, until they came up with some sort of a plan.

"I'm sorry, Souma-kun. The bleak appearance out there is starting to get to me." His purple-haired friend said with a feeble attempt at a smile.

Kukai smiled in understanding. "I hear ya. We need to find a way to stop this. Sanjou did say that this is a different X-egg possession compared to previous ones."

"But ... what's he's done to the world. To Rima-chan, to Yaya-chan ..." At this they both turned to stare at the two girls at the other end of the table; one blonde with petite, doll-like features, the other younger and more-childish one with ginger pigtails hanging limply on either side of her face. They both bore the same empty expressions, the same semi-darkened eyes. They both owned a chara each. Both boys had not seen them since all this had begun.

Nagihiko continued. "Did he really have to take control of them like that? Now they have no dreams, no life-

"And we'll be next if we're not careful. We just need to pick the right time to fight back, and find out what exactly we can do to help him. Until then, we have to keep playing the part of the Jack."

_The role of the Jack, to act as the King's servant..._

Nagihiko wasn't sure if he could continue playing the part of "loyal servant" for much longer. His cool and calm demeanour broke a little bit more every time Tadase convinced him to do something with those persuasion powers of his. He didn't know what it was; he wasn't sure how he could describe it. But he knew that when he was asked to do something, he always felt ..._ compelled_ to carry out whatever the task was.

"We're the girls only hope, and Tadase's. We can't give up, not for them!" The older boy said with a small grin, being his optimistic self.

Nagihiko focused his bronze-coloured eyes on Rima, who stared out blankly at him. "I know Souma-kun, I know."

A brief silence followed as the two boys glanced over at their charas; Nagihiko having two, Kukai having one. They were gathered in one of the greenery patches nearby, probably talking about the same issue, except in their case it would be about Kiseki.

"What about Hinamori? She could help us!" Kukai said suddenly.

The other boy shook his head, his purple bangs swaying as he did. "I don't know what he did or said to her ... but she can't help if she won't talk to us."

"There's has to be a way to get her to talk somehow."

Another silence filled the area. It was always awkward talking about their closest friends on such terms, but it was inevitable. Tadase's current and out-of-kilter behaviour was hard to overlook, and Amu's state of mind was always a concern.

"I hope Sanjou-kun can manage to find someone to help us soon."

Kairi on the other hand, was one of the lucky ones. After being summoned like they all had been, he had served with them, until two months ago. They weren't exactly sure how the younger boy had managed to do it, or that he could pull it off without sustaining any punishment. Yet the fact was quite simple; he had disappeared overnight, he had managed to escape.

"He will! He said that he would!" Kukai was referring to the note the would-be samurai left behind in the garden, found by Daichi and the other charas. The note had promised that he would try and find someone they know that could possibly break Tadase's behaviour and hopefully his tyrannical hold on the world in the process. "A good former Jack never lies!"

Nagihiko grinned. The older boy's positive image was contagious, despite the current situation. "Thanks, Souma-kun."

The boys fell silent once more, this time for a different reason; they could hear footsteps approaching the greenhouse.

"He's here ..." Nagihiko muttered under his breath. Kukai gave a small nod in response.

Soon enough the glass doors to the Royal Garden swung open, allowing the entrant to be doused in colour as they stepped inside. The two boys turned to face the person at the front door, as well as the two girls. There was no sound; nothing except for the doors coming to a close and the slight echoing of each footstep as that person approached the other Guardians. He pushed a stray strand of blonde hair away from his face and adjusted his crown.

"Good evening, my loyal subjects."

Whatever darkness was eating Tadase alive had consumed him whole; Nagihiko took note that the blonde's eyes were no longer darkened over completely. _Could Hotori-kun have broken the possession himself?_ With that thought, he gazed over at them again. Tadase's irises, while they weren't darkened over like in a possession, were still a shade or two darker than its normal colour.

_He's still in that character transformation as well..._ The past crossdresser reminded himself of Tadase's current X'ed persona. He had found out from his own charas that Kiseki was now an X-chara and could perform a possessive character transformation with Tadase. And as far as he could tell, he had been in that darkened Platinum Royale-inspired outfit every time they set eyes on him.

The male Guardians, plus the two girls, stood up from their seats, as a sign of acknowledgment for their superior. Nagihiko also noticed, like he had at countless other times, that Tadase had the Humpty Lock in his possession, hanging around his neck as always.

Tadase gave them a small smile; the self-satisfaction he held at his current status never seemed to stray far from his mind.

"Good evening, Tadase-sama!" the girls chorused.

"It is always a pleasure to serve you, my lord." Nagihiko almost bit his tongue behind the smile; he would prefer serving Tadase when he was under a character change more than this. He glanced over at his friend's relaxed features. _Keep it cool Nagi, like Souma-kun is… _But that was difficult, especially when he could feel his inner Temari emerging sometimes.

"So it should be." With a smirk, the blonde clicked his fingers and pointed at Kukai. "You there! Go and fetch your king something to drink."

"Yes, my lord." With a slight rolling of his eyes to Nagihiko, the sporty boy wandered off to do as he was asked. After glancing at his servant's retreating back, Tadase strode past the other Guardians to his end of the table. He smiled again as he eyed his seat; a majestic throne reserved for him and him only, that held so much symbolism for him as a ruler. Once he took his seat in it, the others sat back down as well.

Tadase looked out of the corner of his eyes at where Kukai would sit, and started idly fiddling with the rubies on his sceptre. After a while he gave a slightly exasperated sigh. "Where is that knave with my drink?"

As if on cue, Kukai came walking back in with a glass of water in hand. "Here you go, my lord." He said as he set the glass of water on the table and took his seat opposite Nagihiko.

Tadase took the glass and had a sip of water. Satisfied, he set the glass back down on the table and faced the people sitting before him. "Does anyone have any news to report?"

Nagihiko grabbed a piece of paper that was in front of him and scanned its contents. Whatever happened to the times when all they discussed was what Easter was up to, and what X-eggs were in which area, and should they have a day-off from paperwork and go visit the local ice-cream parlour instead? Now, it was all about... "People everywhere seem to be praising your reign as always, my lord. You seem to be doing a spectacular job at it."

"Of course I would be! I have done nothing but good." Or so Tadase liked to think.

"Yes, you have." Nagihiko let his eyes trail down the sheet. "There is also news from America that they are going to create a sculpture of you in honour of your achievements."

"Really now? That's wonderful to hear."

"Hmm, yes..."

"That brings the total to what, seventy-six different shrines?"

"Actually, it's eighty-one my lord; eighty-one in various places of this world."

"That is better than I thought. Heh, I'm being worshipped all over. This world has improved, thanks to me ..." Tadase couldn't help but smirk just a little at this news, feeling smug. Nagihiko on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder what the hell those poor innocent people were thinking. They seriously couldn't possibly _like_ what Tadase had done right? Something wasn't right, he could sense it.

But what could _he_ do?

"Anything else?"

"Hm?" Nagihiko looked up. He had distracted himself again. "Sorry...uh, no. Nothing else to report."

"Fair enough." Tadase again sighed, slight irritation lining his voice as he eyed _his_ Guardians. "Now, where is that girl with my dry cleaning?"

"Oh, you mean-

The doors opened again, and in stepped a certain pink-haired girl holding a bundle of what looked to be clean and freshly-pressed clothes. This girl, however different she seemed, was one that they all knew too well.

"Hinamori..."

"Amu-chan..." Nagihiko took notice of Amu's appearance. As she had been on every occasion, she looked lifeless yet active, like a living rag doll. Her tattered school uniform hung off her slender frame, showing off random patches of skin. Her eyes were tired and slightly red from an overload of tears, her body seemed to be just hanging on to any energy it had left, and her hair had taken on a dull look. Overall, all signs of her inner shine seemed to be fading. However, Dia still remained; her four charas floated behind her, reflecting their owner's bleak condition.

But the scary thing was she didn't seem to be controlled by Tadase at all; unlike Rima's and Yaya, her eyes were still normal.

As if she was stuck in an automatic pattern, the Joker walked towards where the group were seated. Focusing her eyes away from the other Guardians, she walked past their seats and stood next to Tadase.

"Amu-chan, there you are."

_At least he still calls her that_, Nagihiko thought.

"Yes. I'm here at your service as always, my King." Her words came out hollowed and choked up, but she tried her best to keep that hidden. Her attempts were successful; no-one seemed to take any notice.

Tadase smiled. He really _did_ like being called that. "As always you are the most faithful, Amu-chan." The male Guardians knew that saying anything was fruitless. Objecting to anything Tadase said tended not to end well. Rima and Yaya's current conditions were proof enough.

Amu found herself blushing slightly, despite herself. _Just like old times ..._ A small smile was barely visible on her lips as she brushed the words off. "T-Thank you. What would you like me to do?"

Tadase let his eyes fall on the contents of the greenhouse. He seemed to come to a decision. "Today you can clean the Royal Garden. You should be familiar with the cleaning tools by now. Give my dry cleaning to this one here," he said, eyeing Kukai. "He will take care of it."

The pink-haired girl nodded. "I'll get started ..." She turned away, placed the pile of clothes in front of Kukai and walked to a small shed situated on one side of the room. She opened the door and pulled out a feather-duster, cloth and small stepladder, and got started on her task. Nagihiko watched her go, and hoped that whatever spell she was under, she would break out of it soon.

The former 'Cool 'n' Spicy' female set up the small ladder by the front doors of the Garden, ignored by all. Wordlessly, she stepped up onto it, faced the glass window, and started brushing the surface with the duster to rid it of any dirt.

_I can't save him, can I?_ Amu thought to herself as she gazed into the glass at her own sorry reflection. The sunken-in, lifeless eyes, the dull complexion, the listless bubblegum-pink locks of hair falling flat around her face. Her supposed "stubborn" side had disintegrated over time, until she was... this. She had to ask herself, whatever happened to that confident heroine that showed no fear, that protected and saved everyone's Heart's Eggs? Was this the same person? If she couldn't even protect someone that close to her then what good was she?

She stared past her mirrored image and let her eyes fall on the darkened king himself, who was seemingly receiving a shoulder massage from Nagihiko. As every day passed, she kept up her refusal that this was not the real Tadase. _It's too late ... what he's done ... that's not Tadase-kun ... _the words repeated like a mantra in her mind daily. She had to; if not, then what else would act as her lifeline?

She had been giving up on all hope that she could save him by herself. She knew just using the power of words couldn't stop this certain X-egg, following by a swift Open Heart. As she first thought, it was different compared to the many others they had faced in the past. But, she felt she couldn't rely on the other Guardians, her friends, to help her. Two of them were under Tadase's complete control, while the other two were under the same situation as she, but it still came down to the same result; they were all being forced to serve, and required to follow his orders.

_I ... I also have no choice ..._

Amu closed her eyes, allowing herself to think back to that certain conversation, the talk that had changed everything...

"_Amu-chan-_

"_W-Why are you calling me that? You're not the real Tadase-kun; stop trying to be like him!"_

"_But Amu-chan, I know now that you aren't just an everyday commoner, and that you can-no, will repent to me for your petty mistakes."_

"_W-What?"_

"_Because of what you've done to me, to my heart, you are to be my personal servant."_

_"W-What I did?"_

_..._

"_B-But, I can't. I won't-_

"_If you fail to comply with this ... there are things that I am capable of doing; don't underestimate my power."_

"_What can you do?"_

"_I can capture your family. I can hurt the people you love. The Embryo allows me to do whatever I want."_

_..._

"_Well?"_

"_I ... I accept ..."_

"_Good. I expect to see you at the Royal Garden in no more than five minutes. You are not to speak to anyone other than myself at any time. Understood?"_

"_Y-Yes ..."_

_..._

"_You don't know ... what it feels like to lose to that thieving cat I used to call a Nii-san ..."_

The only reason she had accepted his request ... was because she didn't want him bringing her family into this mess. Where were they? She knew that they no longer lived in Tokyo. She hoped that they were all safe; Mama, Papa, Ami ...

But she couldn't help but wonder, what did he mean by that last line he had spoken ever so softly? She didn't know what relevance that held...she knew that Tadase and Ikuto had made amends to their severed relationship after the Death Rebel incident. Why would be saying something like that? Again she had to remind herself, this wasn't her Tadase; not the one she loved, or was it _had_ loved? She wasn't sure anymore.

She thought back to Ikuto, and wondered if the perverted cat had ever gotten her message, and if he did, would he assist them? She hoped so; maybe the older boy could somehow help with the healing of this strange possession. Which made her think ... _this ... isn't my fault is it?_ The last time she had seen Tadase under a normal state wasn't exactly under the best of conditions. If she could turn back time to that moment, maybe if she had thought it through more...

But, she knew couldn't control them, these ... feelings. Wait, why was she thinking this now?

She just hoped that the jerk had his phone on, or at least had some sense to realize what was going on.

"Amu-chan, do you need a chara change-desu?" Suu asked quietly, floating up to rest on the rosette's shoulder. Her owner had stopped dusting the window, and she was concerned for her. Golden eyes again closed, as Amu let her mind waver to all of her withheld memories of a young boy she knew; the kind, caring, loving boy she knew that was willing to protect all harm that came to his friends, and that would do anything for them. Especially her.

_I have been your faithful servant ever since that day. I would undertake anything as long as you wished it. But I swear Tadase-kun that somehow, we will save you, even if I can't. I know this isn't your would-be self. I refuse to believe it ..._

A smack to the back of her head bumped Amu out of her reverie. Shocked at the sudden pain she jumped, and held the back of her head. She turned around to see a small girl hop off the bottom step of the ladder and look up at her with shaded eyes.

"R-Rima ..." Amu uttered.

"Get back to work." The words she spoke were distant, and lacked any emotion. With an empty glare at Amu, Rima turned on her heel and walked back to the other Guardians.

Amu sighed and immersed herself again in her work, images of Ikuto swarming her mind here and there. She wasn't completely sure why she was thinking of the mysterious catboy at a time like this, but she knew it kept her focused. She engrossed herself with dusting and wiping entirely; so much that the following conversation never reached her ears.

"Tadase-sama, we have received word from the country of Australia; Tsukiyomi Ikuto has been spotted."

Tadase sat up alert, his eyes widened with sudden interest. "What?"

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto has been spotted."

"Is that so? Hm, Jacks. I have a task for you."

Kukai, who had returned from his brief errand sometime ago, stood up from his chair, while Nagihiko walked back to his. "What is that, my lord?" Nagihiko hoped that he had held back his sarcasm in time. If Tadase noticed it, he sure didn't say anything about it.

"You are both to travel to this country, find Tsukiyomi Ikuto, and bring him here before me. Retrieve him in any way that is necessary. Do you understand?"

And both boys felt the powerful urge to hold back their protests to this request. Instead, they felt obligated to follow his orders. "Yes, we will do that for you."

"Good. I'll call for a plane to make sure you arrive there safely." Again, he clicked his fingers, and this time Yaya stood up. Without being asked, she walked over to a nearby phone situated by the door and started dialling a number. "Don't forget, you are on royal business."

"We won't, my lord. Let's go, Fujisaki." Kukai said with a small grin to Nagihiko. With a nod from his purple-haired friend, the two turned away and walked to the entrance of the Royal Garden. Their charas followed behind them as they opened the doors and stepped out into the greyscale environment, and walked off out of sight.

Tadase watched them go. After they had disappeared from view, the blonde started idly fiddling with the rubies on his sceptre once more. He smirked; now that his childhood friend and once more an enemy had been found, he was highly anticipating meeting with him again after he had left them two years ago. And this time, he was sure that he would come out on top. In fact, he already had.

After all, he had the power to.

Dark magenta eyes focused onto Rima. "You, blonde one, send word to the police force that they are to heavily guard the area, and to not let him escape."

"Yes, Tadase-sama ..." Rima wandered off to the phone.

Tadase noticed that Yaya was walking back to her seat, her task completed. "And you..."

The girl with a babyish personality looked over at him, head tilted to the side in questioning. "Hm?"

"Bring me some lunch, and something sweet for later."

"Can I have the sweet thing?"

"No. Now get out of here!" Even though he was controlling her, that didn't mean he didn't like to play around with her mind every now and them. With a frantic nod, Yaya turned around and skipped out of the Royal Garden.

_You can't get away with this! You can't do this to Amu-chan, to Ikuto nii-san, to everyone!_

"Just watch me." The blonde frowned as he sat back against his royal chair. That little voice in his head was beginning to annoy him.


	5. 4: Moving in the Right Direction

**A note from Aimz: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS OLD CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ/REVIEW JUST YET. RE-WRITE IS COMING SOON.**

* * *

**.~.~.**

**Chapter 4: Moving in the Right Direction**

**.~.~.**

"Yoru, can you see anyone?"

"Nope. The coast is clear Ikuto-nya."

With a sigh of relief and a groan, Ikuto pressed his hands against the roof and lifted the lid of the garbage dumpster, allowing grey light to filter through the revealing cracks. The catboy squinted at the sudden brightness and blinked, as if the presence of mere sunlight was unknown to him. He shook his head, before heaving himself out of the smelly confinement and onto solid ground.

"Do I smell sardines-nya?" Yoru said excitedly from his floating position around Ikuto's head.

"No, that's just me ..." Ikuto said bluntly as he pulled a rotten banana peel off his head. He tenderly brought it out at arm's length and shuddered as the fruit left his fingers to meet with the pavement. His eyes stared at the lifeless and drawn-back peels as flies began to cluster and buzz around it. "Ugh."

"You don't like living in garbage much do you Ikuto?"

"I'm used to it by now," was the dulled reply. Ikuto turned back and opened the old creaky lid again, so he could retrieve a small rucksack and his violin case from inside. It was, after all, the only items of importance he had left; he didn't want to lose them now. He swung the bag and case across his back. "C'mon, Yoru." And with that, the teenager initiated his character change and headed skywards to the top of the roof.

Ikuto gasped as the higher he ascended the fresher the air seemed to become. He closed his eyes as he felt his hair being pushed back by the wind, as the putrid stench of garbage seemed to stream down every aspect of himself and back to where it once came; it was such a release to have something clean re-enter his lungs, after spending who-know-how-long amongst all that trash. His chara flew slightly ahead of him with a relaxed grin, enjoying the wonderful sense of freedom that his owner so much craved and was his birth-sake.

Of course, it was a sense of sweet relief, if only temporary.

He rose a few extra metres higher than the current height of his aimed landing surface, before landing on the nearest building with ease. With a flick of his cat's tail, the teenager adjusted his bag and violin case across his shoulder and started walking along the square surface of the building. His eyes were alert, darting every which way for any moving target. His cat ears were poised, strained and twitching to pick up any sound big or small that may be heard. This was his only choice if he wanted to stay on the streets; his only choice if he wanted to make it out of this country safely, and in one piece.

Freedom had once been so easy. Now, the freedom he could obtain was a rare pleasure; he knew that this wouldn't last long, it never usually did. It wouldn't be long before someone would recognize him, may they be part of the law enforcement or just a regular citizen. Either way, Ikuto would be seen; it wasn't that hard to spot a boy with optional cat-like features, especially one that was wanted by the police.

Now that he thought about it, he was lucky he had escaped when he had spotted them snooping around in his hotel room. He didn't hang around to see what they were doing, instead preferring to head straight to the rooftop. Once the officers had left the room, Ikuto had swung in through the window, knowing he had no time to waste. He quickly gathered his travel items into one bag, packed up his violin and departed. That had been on the night after his first encounter with the police; he was lucky the hotel owner didn't pay much attention to the news; otherwise he would have been out of there a long time ago.

A plane cruising in the sky caught Ikuto eye. He stopped to gaze at it as it jetted amongst the grey-coloured clouds. Is that plane going to Tokyo? If it was, he wished he was on it. But boarding a flight, considering his new status as an assumed criminal, was difficult. He had tried numerous times, with each time resulting in his identity being recognized and the alarms being activated. And then of course, there were the numerous escapes from the police that followed...

_A week. It has nearly been a week. I can't keep this up for much longer, but I haven't got a choice ..._

Ikuto sighed, his eyes glaring down at the city below. It was early morning; clusters of little people scuttled along like ants on the busy sidewalk, along with the swarms of tiny cars stuck on the roads. Traitors. Unhelpful, gullible, traitors. None of these people could be trusted to help him; he would have to escape all by himself. He has no allies, and no alibi that would be believed. He didn't care for what he had apparently done, or why he was being searched for; he just wanted to leave. _Amu, Tadase ... if only I could just get out of h_-

Cat ears atop his head picked up a sound one wouldn't be able to hear from a distance; a low buzzing sound, becoming louder with each increasing second. "That isn't a-

His words were cut off as the hum become so loud that he couldn't hear his own thoughts. The distinct whirring noise that caused Ikuto's locks to fly about carelessly was right above his head. He paused to look up towards the sky and glared at what he saw. "They have helicopters now?" he yelled through the roaring echo in his ears, which he had covered with his arms. He could hear his chara screaming out to him, but whatever was spoken was blocked by the helicopter circling above him.

He had no time to waste; he was on the run once again.

Quickly, Ikuto dashed to the nearest edge and leapt off it, his senses choosing to ignore the adrenalin rush this time around. With feline-like ease, he landed down in the street below. He wasn't sure if the helicopter was following him or not, but he knew he had to lose it, and fast. Still under the chara change, the teenager jogged down the busy streets, weaving his way in and out of crowds and keeping his head down to avoid recognition. Some people stopped and turned around to look at the escaping boy, shocked that they were witnessing a chase like this in the early morning. But Ikuto couldn't care less; he kept on running.

A freshly-set poster seemed to be peeling off the weather-beaten wall it had been taped to, its thin form batting bent over against the quiet breeze. As Ikuto ran past it was pushed back flat, allowing its official-looking contents to be made known to any passerby; that Ikuto Tsukiyomi was a wanted man, for theft no less. A black and white picture was cropped to only feature the relaxed catboy, who was looking out emotionlessly at the camera. His arm was resting on something unseen in the shot, but one could make out a thin strand of hair sticking up from the bottom of the picture. Below a brief description of the fugitive and a mention of a reward, in small bold print in the corner of the poster, were the words:

**_By order of HRM* King Tadase Hotori_**

Ikuto looked over his shoulder briefly, to make sure nobody was following him in his tracks. The helicopter was no longer over him, but he could still hear the low buzzing of its blades whirring somewhere in the sky above.

"Quick Ikuto, in here-nya!" Ikuto glanced over to where his chara was frantically gesturing; another alleyway, which could only mean another garbage dumpster. He really didn't want to hide in another one of those, but as he again glanced over his shoulder and spotted the small helicopter in the distance above, he knew he didn't have any other choice. He turned the corner and halted at a huge rectangular grey bin halfway down the alley. Once eying the garbage bags surrounding it with distaste, he looked around to make sure no one was following him, and quickly lifted the lid to allow his agile frame inside.

_It stinks in here,_ Ikuto thought as he held his nose and closed the lid quietly behind him. He glared at the lid when it wouldn't shut properly, leaving a small line of sunlight to pour into the dark confines. _Better than nothing._

"Ikuto~!"

"What is it Yoru?" Ikuto whispered urgently as he took a seat on the pile of garbage and waste. The cat chara looked at the other end of the dumpster, causing Ikuto's eyes to follow. He almost gasped.

At the other end, slumped against the wall, was a boy. Ikuto felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise; he never would have expected another person in here. Was he even alive? He tried to perceive what he could of him; the lack of light certainly did not help.

The boy was a few years younger than Ikuto's current age, definitely sixteen he was sure. The small glow flowing in caught the boy's appearance in monochrome tints, and Ikuto could see that his head was up against the bin's wall, turned to the side slightly so that a darker portion of his hair fell across his right eye in bangs. His eyes were closed, one arm resting lazily on a bent leg, a leg that was bent over some sort of case. Ikuto couldn't quite place where he had seen him before. He was sure he had seen him around somewhere, but where?

_That's right,_ he thought. _This is the kid who distracted the police that one time ... but why is he in here, of all places?_ He noticed an odd dark patch or two on the boy's jeans, just under the knee. Was that blood? _Maybe the police got to him ..._

Ikuto couldn't help but feel a little concerned for this guy. After all, he had helped him escape from those officers of the law, one of which being so inexperienced he was surprised he knew how a gun worked. But what could he do? For what he had seen of the boy, Ikuto could only assume that he was a wanted criminal as well. Maybe he could leave him at the front of the nearest hospital after he had left these smelly confines. Unless he was-

Suddenly, the body shifted. Ikuto looked on in surprise when he saw the other teen's eyes slowly open. With a groan they opened fully, and blinked rapidly a few times to adjust to the darkness.

"Hey, w-who's that?" he said, sleep still half-consuming his senses. From his point of view, all he could see was black. Despite the light coming into the small enclosed area, he couldn't see a thing. However, when his eyes fully adjusted after being shut for some time, he could make out the shape of a foot that was connected to a leg, which led into a shadowy corner of the dumpster. Seeing this, he immediately felt concerned, yet a little apprehensive.

"I know someone's there ... what are you doing in my hiding place?" he asked quietly, his eyes glancing over from the foot to the shadows. He thought it was odd to see other person hiding in the garbage with him. A wave of his hand across his face was used to ward off the smell, even though he was used to it.

"You hide here? Didn't think people loved the smell so much." The equally hushed voice coming from the shadows sounded somewhat ... sarcastic?

The boy's eyebrows rose, then narrowed in response. "You think I have a choice?"

"Hm, no. Who are you?"

"What's it to you?" This time, Ikuto picked up a tone of defence in his voice. He sighed.

"Just trying to strike up a conversation while we're hiding away from the police out there." A short silence followed Ikuto's words, as if they needed time to sink in. The other teenager stared in disbelief.

"Wait, you're hiding from the cops as well?" he asked at last. A thought came to his mind; it couldn't be that guy could it? He decided to check, to make sure. He moved the case he owned out of the way and stretched his legs out, before peering deeper into the shadows. "Hm, could you move into the light for a minute? Chances are I might know you."

Ikuto shrugged, holding back a snort of laughter. Who wouldn't know him at this current time? But, considering that this kid had helped him out, he shifted his body into the line of sunlight, revealing himself to the other boy.

Again, the area was silent as Ikuto saw the teenager look him up and down, taking in his appearance. After making a conclusion in his head, his face lit up in beaming realisation. "Oh, you're that guy on the posters! That Ikuto Tsukiyomi guy! I remember you now!"

_There's posters?_ He had never noticed before. But Ikuto pushed that thought to the back of his mind. "Aren't you the one who led those officers away? When they were chasing me?"

"That's right. They bother me so I bother them back; it makes sense," The boy sat back against the dumpster wall and put his hands behind his head, giving Ikuto a relaxed smile. "Besides, it's kinda fun teasing them. With a little help, of course."

"Yeah, thanks ..."

"No problem! Glad to be of some help!"

Ikuto smiled. "Do you live here?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing you don't?" He had taken notice of Ikuto's broken English and foreign looks.

"No. In fact," the Japanese teenager averted his eyes away from the other adolescent. "I need to get home ..." He didn't know why he said that to a complete stranger, since his current status amongst society wasn't exactly favourable. But, he could tell he could trust this guy. After all, he did help him out; that alone gave Ikuto a positive feeling about him.

_To get home ..._

"Hey, the coast is clear!"

"Hm?" Ikuto turned to look towards the small voice, which seemed to be coming from outside. Remembering Yoru's reaction when this boy had appeared to chase the police away, he could only assume that that voice did not belong to a person.

The other male looked back to Ikuto. "You heard that? Wait, you have a guardian character, don't you?" He said this while eying Yoru, who was sitting on Ikuto's shoulder, swinging his feet.

"That's Yoru."

"Nice chara. Can he speak English as well?"

"No."

"Was that your chara outside-nya?" Yoru asked.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"He asked if that was your chara outside."

"Oh, right." The boy nodded, and he proceeded to get up onto his feet. "That's my chara, Satoru. He's outside keeping watch and making sure it's safe to go out there." The boy got to his feet and lifted the dumpster lid up with a creaking noise, eliminating the darkness in the precinct completely. He picked up the guitar case he had brought with him and slung it across his shoulder, and lifted a leg up and over the dumpster. Before jumping out, he turned to look at Ikuto. "You coming, Ikuto?"

Ikuto looked up at him, and gave him a questionable look.

"What? We may as well stick together, right?" he said. "I know my way around here pretty well. I could help you find your way back home, without those bothersome coppers chasing you around."

Ikuto wasn't really sure how this guy could help him out in the slightest. But he had to admit, he did have a point; his sense of direction could be of some help. He just better not distract him from his mission. Thinking this, he sighed and gave up trying to think of reasons not to be seen with the kid. After all, he was the only guy he could trust around here.

"Fair enough." Ikuto stood up and stretched his legs, pulling a face at the garbage water on his pants. "What's your name?"

The other boy's smirk didn't fade in the slightest. "The name's Keen, and the less people know about my last name the better." With that, he pushed himself off the side of the dumpster bin and landed on the cold ground.

Ikuto gathered his bag and violin case and clambered out after his newfound companion. "What kind of name is that?"

"A pretty cool one if you ask me."

Ikuto couldn't help but roll his eyes at Keen's remark, said with that never-fading smile. _The people in this country are strange_, he thought. Not that it mattered; as long as he got out of here safely, hopefully with this guy's help, then anything else that came his way wouldn't bother him. After walking over to him, he noticed a chara floating over to them. The small being's eyes lit up when he saw his owner. "Hey, Keen!"

At hearing his name, the teenager turned to face his chara, and smiled widely at the sight of him. "Hey, Satoru!" Enthusiastically, he held his hand out palm facing up, which the little guardian character flew up to and slapped with his own little hand. It was an odd attempt at a high-five which succeeded, unlike last time. Ikuto eyed the chara.

"Ikuto, this is Satoru." At his owner's words, the chara turned around to face Ikuto. His eyes and hairstyle suggested he was a mini-version of Keen; the only difference being that he had a rock-star edge to his appearance. His spiked-up hair was a noticeably darker shade than his owner's, and he had a small, chara-sized electric guitar slung over his shoulder.

Satoru flew over to Ikuto, and grinned. "Hi! Nice to meet ya!" Ikuto returned the welcome. Satoru took notice of Yoru floating over to him. "Who's this?"

Yoru stared at Satoru, who blinked his eyes in response. Both charas didn't say anything.

"The language barrier is going to be a problem, isn't it?" Keen said.

Ikuto looked up at the sky; there was no helicopter in sight. "Let's get out of here ..." Ikuto started walking toward the alleyway's entrance. Keen shrugged his shoulders and followed, until an idea struck him. He stopped in his tracks.

"Hang on, Ikuto!"

Ikuto stopped before stepping out onto the busy path. "What?"

"There's something we need to do before we get out of here."

"And that i-?"

"You'll see! Wait here, I'll be back in a minute." And with that, he sprinted off around the corner. Ikuto sighed and leant against the granite wall behind him, and waited ever so patiently. He better hurry up.

After a short wait, Ikuto saw Keen reappear in the alleyway. Only this time, he had a small rectangular case in one hand and a hat in the other. "What is that stuff for?" Ikuto asked.

"Your disguise, of course! You don't want the police to grab you, do you?"

Ikuto took the hat and studied it completely. It was a grey, plaid-designed trilby hat. He placed it on his head and turned to Yoru. "How does it look?"

"Pretty cool. I can barely recognize you!" Ikuto smiled at his chara's comment. "You could even pass off as your dad-nya." Yoru said in a quieter tone.

"Don't forget these!" Keen said, passing Ikuto the small case. Ikuto flipped it open and found a pair of sleek, clear-lenses. He looked at them with confusion.

"Don't worry, I popped the glass out. They're completely see-through."

"Uh huh. Thanks." Ikuto quickly slid them on. "But what about you? You're wanted by the police too, you know."

"Really? I never would have guessed." He replied with a hint of sarcasm and a roll of the eyes. "Yeah, maybe so. But because they are concentrated on looking for you at the moment they wouldn't even care if they saw me. To them, I'm nothing more than a troublemaker." _Not like I was one in the first place ..._

"Ok, suit yourself." As long as his new friend could help him out of this country and onto a plane to Tokyo undetected, then it wouldn't really matter.

With the facade set and the shared will to leave the alleyway, the two boys finally headed out onto the streets. They appeared to be as crowded as ever, with all sorts of people moving in opposite directions. After looking both ways, they found an entrance into the moving mob, and started heading left with them.

Ikuto looked on straight ahead, seeing the end of the street up ahead. He glanced at Keen walking beside him, and decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, doesn't the current state of the world bother you at all?"

"Nah, not really." Keen said. "It was shocking at first, but I've learnt to live with it. You get used to seeing a black-and-white world eventually. Why? Does it bother you?"

"I haven't been living in it for as long as you."

"Dude, it was all over the news and TV stations. How could you not take notice?" Satoru pointed out.

As they walked down the street, making sure that they didn't bump into any people when they could, Ikuto quickly explained that he had been in a coma for a long period of time.

"Wow, sounds like you've had it hard."

"I've had worst. But because of that, I have no idea what has happened. Things have definitely changed."

"Yeah, they have. Not just what you see either."

As Keen said this, a small bus shelter they were passing caught Ikuto's eye. He paused to look at the advertisement plastered on the inside of one of the walls. Keen stepped to the side, so he could look past Ikuto, who was hiding his surprise on seeing what he saw; an advertisement featuring Tadase, of all people. He wasn't sure what to make of it; from what he could understand, he was promoting ... some sort of ice-cream? The catboy gave the advertisement a dull, bored look. "You can say that again." Shaking his head at the stupidity of it all, Ikuto tore his eyes away from the poster, and him and Keen continued on their way down the road. "I never thought I would see him on a poster."

"There's a lot of posters like that one around here. It's like he took over the whole advertising agency or something."

"But that's not all he has done, is it?"

Keen fell silent, thinking about Ikuto's question. "Well, let's just say I haven't taken much of a liking to what His Majesty has also done." His words sounded cheery and upbeat, but there was a tone of dislike as well, outlined with a tinge of mockery at saying the words "His Majesty".

So there were people that didn't like this ... not that Ikuto didn't suspect that already. But, he hadn't seen anyone outwardly protest against the sudden changes to the world either, which made him wonder exactly how much power Tadase had over everyone. Was he making citizens live in fear, or the complete opposite?

But, he knew deep down, that Tadase could never be like ... well, whatever that person he saw on the advert was. He had racked his brains ever since awakening in the hospital, when he had come to a conclusion; until he arrived in Tokyo, until he found his way to the blonde, until he found a reasonable explanation for this, then he wasn't sure what to believe. And of course, there was Amu to think about ...

"... I mean, I do have him to thank. Because of him I-

"He's not as bad as you think." Ikuto muttered.

Keen's stared at Ikuto, surprised at his words. "What makes you say that? You know him personally or something?"

The older teen sighed, and decided to take back his words, for now. He didn't want anyone else getting caught up in this, there was no point. "Never mind. What exactly has he done?"

The younger adolescent raised an eyebrow, before narrowing them slightly in thought. "To tell you the truth, I don't know much about it. But he did drain the world of colour, and he created a whole list of new laws ... but it doesn't bother me much at all."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. I mean, it can't be helped can it? Whatever he says has to be followed, no questions asked."

"But you said you don't like what he's done?"

"That's some things. But we can't agree with everything, can we?"

The two boys finally broke free from the throbbing masses of pedestrians walking on the streets, and approached the curb. Grey sunlight flickered on a sheet of metal above them; Ikuto's eyes caught the glare and averted up to look at the street sign towering above his head, the white block letters standing out so clearly.

"Tadase Street?" he said, another blunt tone edging his disbelief. How could he not have noticed that earlier?

"Well, one of the first things he did was change some of the street names."

"Right ... what did this one used to be called?"

"King Street."

Ikuto snorted. Again the blonde's chara change came to mind. Of course he would want to rename anything that could insult his status, or heighten awareness of it. He was guessing that he had also changed all the streets that had been titled 'prince' as well. _Typical Tadase ..._

"What else did he change?"

"A lot of things... you're really curious about all the things he changed, aren't you?"

"I had no idea any of this was going on." Ikuto reminded. Besides, he wanted to know, to get a better idea of his influence on the world. Anything could help in the long run.

Continuing their small talk, they walked down the street, and soon enough the two boys reached the heart of the city. They crossed the busy road and headed towards Union Circle, and took a seat on the stone steps scattered in the area.

"Some laws are ridiculous though, like the one about the ice-cream. He set a law saying that shops can only sell vanilla-flavoured, and if we want a different flavour then too bad. But what if some of us don't like vanilla? What if some of us like coffee-flavoured?"

"Uh huh, right ..."

Keen picked up the bored tone in Ikuto's voice. "Sorry. It was just a law that affected me, that's all."

Ikuto let his eyes scan the area around him again. "He has influenced this world a lot, huh?"

"Uh huh. But, despite all the bad and stupid things, he did solve world hunger. That's just a rumour though ... I wouldn't believe it for a minute."

After adjusting his hat, Ikuto looked over to one of the nearby buildings with interest. The square building had a huge electronic billboard built into its wall. The screen was blank, but that wasn't what had attracted Ikuto's curiosity; it was the two identical metal rods being set up on either side of it.

"Mm?" Keen looked over to where Ikuto was gazing. He eyed the construction workmen setting the tall poles into holes in the ground. "Oh, I heard about this ..."

Ikuto turned to look at his companion. "What?"

"These things." Keen said as he gestured over to the area again. "I have no idea what the electronic billboard is used for; probably for more ads, I guess. But I read about those poles in the newspaper." They watched as one of the workmen used a small cherry picker to raise themselves to the top of one of the now-set poles. On the top of the post, they carefully fitted what looked to be a translucent three-dimensional glass object, shaped to look like a heart. "They're called 'Heart Rods'".

"Heart Rods?" _That sounds like..._ Ikuto stared at the strange objects, his mind filling with thoughts of a certain pink-haired cheerleader. A certain girl's would-be self, manifested in a character transformation. That certain girl he knew and loved. Amu, Amulet Heart ... Amu ...

"Hey, Ikuto? You alright?" Keen asked. He had noticed the other boy had fallen silent and had remained like that for some time.

"Yeah." Ikuto averted his attention back to the present and away from his girl, and to the strange heart-shaped items. As he looked at them, a conclusion as to why they were there formed in his mind. "He ordered them to be built didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did."

"For what purpose?"

"... Dunno."

Ikuto mentally facepalmed. "That's helpful."

"Hey! I don't keep up with the news that much these days, ok? Nothing in it interests me anymore."

The two boys relaxed as they watched the rods finished being developed. Ikuto, as he watched, couldn't help but wonder why they were there. He thought back to Amu's words in her message; _he's gone insane_. From what he had seen so far, he could see how _what_ he had done would justify her words. But, why? _Why_ would the so-called insane Tadase do this? And what did it have to do with those rods? Whatever they did, he couldn't have any good intentions for them...could he? Damn, he should really stop thinking like this until he got to Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Satoru was eying the train station across the road. His eyes were alight with anticipation, like he wanted to do something. He floated over to his owner and tugged on his shirt. "Hey Keen, c'mon! Let's go! While there's an audience over there!"

Keen smiled at his motivated chara, seeing his longing to put him under a character change. "It's tempting I know, Satoru, but not yet ok? The police will notice, and I don't really feel like running all over town like last week." He said, rolling his eyes at the memory.

Satoru stared longingly at the train station again, then back to his owner. He gave a little sigh. "Damn you and your logic. What about lunch though?"

Ikuto sat back and stretched out on his step, looking up at the sky with hands behind his head. Why did it have to look like it was going to rain at any moment? He thought he could see another plane in the distance; that did it for him. He stood up, capturing Keen's attention.

"Ikuto?"

"I should go ... it's important I go home to Tokyo. If you're not going to help me out, then I'm wasting time." Ikuto found his thoughts drifting back to Amu again, as well as Tadase. It made him think, if this unbelievable event hadn't been solved in the four month long span, then something must be seriously wrong.

Keen looked at Ikuto, his words repeating in his mind. "Tokyo ... that's where the King apparently resides."

"That's good. At least I know I'm moving in the right direction." Ikuto turned away from the stone steps, adjusting his violin case and rucksack on his shoulder. He looked down at the other teenager and gave him a small, barely visible smile. "Thanks for the help. But, I'm pretty sure I can cope by myself from now on. See you around, kid." With that, the catboy focused his eyes ahead of him, and started walking away.

His eyes focused on Ikuto's retreating back, Keen propped his elbows on the guitar case resting on his knees and watched him go. He had to admit, he was sorry to see him leave. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that Ikuto wasn't so bad, which was why he had helped him out when the police were looking for him. It was such a shame that he couldn't help him anymore than he could. But, his need to go to Tokyo confused him. If only he knew the risks of setting foot in that place at this current day and age ... well, the ones he had heard about. But, even if he did tell him, Keen had a feeling that Ikuto wouldn't care and would still carry out his original plans. He just seemed like that type of guy.

Suddenly, a thought passed his mind. The person that was currently living with him...he had a shugo chara as well. And he mentioned something to him ... he said, just the other day, that he knew Ikuto Tsukiyomi. And that could only mean-

With this thought fresh in his mind, Keen slung his guitar case over his shoulder and raced down the street, following Ikuto. Satoru watched as his owner ran off. "Keen, wait up!" he cried before floating off after him. Knowing that Ikuto has turned a corner, Keen did so, and saw the other boy halfway up the street.

"Ikuto! This guy has been living with me for the last few months! He says he's from Tokyo as well!"

Hearing this, Ikuto stopped in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, his interest piqued. "Huh?"

Keen walked over to Ikuto. "I don't know if you know him or not, but I think he knows you. He saw one of the wanted posters of you and claimed it."

Now Ikuto was really interested. "Where is this person?"

"He's probably back at my place. C'mon, I'll take you to him."

Ikuto took this into great consideration. If someone knew him, and that they were living here in Australia, surely they could help him against Tadase if need be? And the more allies he had the better, when he thought about it. He turned around on the spot fully. "Alright, let's go."

The trip took some time; they had to catch a tram from the middle of the metropolis to the quieter outskirts of the city, where most residential houses resided. Ikuto was surprised that the disguise he wore was working so well, and he briefly wondered exactly how thick-headed these people were. He also wondered if he was making the right decision to do this. But, after hearing Keen's description of his apparent roommate, Ikuto had a feeling that he was doing the right thing.

But of course, there was only one way to be sure.

"There's our stop!"

After leaving the small and cramped mode of transportation, Keen led Ikuto down a side-street close to the tram stop. They walked in silence for a while, until they reached a small, worn-out brick apartment building that was many stories high. Ikuto stared at it. "You live here?"

"Yep. The apartment is small, but I'm not complaining. It's better than nothing." Keen said with a shrug of the shoulders as they entered the building. Turning right, they approached an elevator, entered, and took it to the level above them. After stepping out at their destination, they walked down the corridor until they got to the third door on the right: Apartment Number Five. Seeing that it was unlocked, Keen turned the doorknob and opened the door, revealing the person that confirmed Ikuto's suspicions.

"... Kairi?"

* * *

*****Stands for "His Royal Majesty."


	6. 5: An Unexpected Appearance

**A note from Aimz: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS OLD CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ/REVIEW JUST YET. RE-WRITE IS COMING SOON.**

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**.~.~.**

**Chapter 5: An Unexpected Appearance**

**.~.~.**

"... _Kairi?"_

That voice; it sounded familiar. It couldn't be, could it?

On hearing his name, the younger boy, who was sitting at the kitchen bench reading the morning newspaper, looked up and over to the door. Eyes blinked in astonishment, and his mouth hung open slightly at seeing the familiar person, hidden underneath a clever disguise. In fact, he could almost be that one other person he had glimpsed two months ago, in the city square. "A-Aruto-san?"

So, he really did look like his dad after all?

"Kairi, it's me, Ikuto."

Ah, of course, he should have noticed before. The tone of voice couldn't belong to the famous violinist. That disguise really did have him fooled.

"T-Tsukiyomi-san?" Kairi corrected himself. His small samurai chara Musashi, who was floating at the boy's side, was just as shocked as his owner was, yet somehow he maintained a composed expression.

Ikuto took in the boy in front of him. His hair may have gotten a little bit longer, and he may have gotten a little taller, but he was still definitely that kid who had been Easter's unknowing spy, sent to gather information on the Guardians during the Black Diamond project. But the past didn't matter now; instead, he was focused on his current joy. How secretly relieved he felt to see someone he knew in this country, also someone who could know exactly what was going on.

Keen looked at Kairi, then at Ikuto, then back to Kairi again. He let himself into the apartment after Ikuto and closed the door, seemingly unfazed by their use of honorific's. "How do you guys know each other then?" he asked as he dumped his guitar case by the door.

Ikuto took his hat and glasses off and placed them on the kitchen bench where Kairi was sitting at. "We used to work for the same company."

"Y-Yes ..." Kairi said. He turned around in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe this ... where did you find him, Keen?" His English was close to perfect; it was definitely more refined than Ikuto's.

"In the dumpster."

"Ah, right. I thought I could smell something odd ..." his eyes drifted towards the teenage catboy once more, his nose slightly wrinkled in disgust.

Once Kairi said this, Ikuto became fully aware of the stench he carried, and the grumbling of his stomach. How he had survived this long under those awful conditions was beyond him. "I've been living in the garbage," he said. "For a week."

Kairi stared at the other male, confused. "Eh? For a week? How long have you been here in this country?"

Ikuto groaned. He couldn't be bothered with telling that story again, even to an acquaintance he hadn't seen for some time. "Ask him," he jabbed a thumb in Keen's direction. He then turned to face him. "Can I use the shower, please?"

Keen nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll show you where it is." Without another word, he walked across the room, with Ikuto following behind him. As he walked, Ikuto glanced over the small sunlit apartment; he saw that, while it was mostly clean, it was still a tad messy; not unusual at all. There was a pile of various books that littered the floor by the TV set; dog-eared music magazines, the TV guide, and an old science textbook that seemed to have many coffee stains on its cover. His eyes averted from these and took notice of the glass door leading out onto a small balcony. Maybe now that he had found Kairi, they could leave together...

"Fresh towels are in the bathroom. Give a yell if you need anything!"

Ikuto glanced at his new friend, giving him a small smile but lacking any other emotion. "Yep. Thanks." And with that, Ikuto let himself into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Keen stared at the closed door in front of him, and thought, not for the first time, how Ikuto had been acting to him since they had met.

"Geez, for someone determined to leave this country, he seems pretty moody..." he muttered quite openly.

"That's just his character." Kairi said as he stood up from his seat. "He didn't talk much when we were working together either. Please, don't take it personally."

The teenager turned to look at Kairi. "So, when you guys were working together, you don't mean-

"No, we didn't work together then. This was ... another occasion."

"Ah huh." His eyes trailed over to the books lying on the ground. "Oh, sorry about that Kairi. I forgot to pick them up this morning ..."

"Don't worry about it. I was going to clean them up after I was done reading the newspaper."

Keen smiled. He was grateful for his guest and friend for taking care of the apartment, but that didn't mean that he had to be fully responsible for it. He moved over to the books and replaced them on the nearby bookshelf, before walking over to the open-area kitchen, where Kairi was cooking something for lunch on the stove. "Mm...smells good Kairi!" he said.

"Yeah, it does!" Satoru said as well.

Musashi stared at his companion and cleared his throat. "It is Kairi's turn to cook today," he said in English.

"It's nothing to get excited about ..." Kairi muttered, whist keeping his eyes on the simmering substance in the pot, stirring it as he did. The strong aroma of his own cooking brought back the memory of him catering for his older sister not long ago, but he pushed that aside for now.

"What are you making anyway?" the older male asked as he rested his arms on the bench, leaning against it.

"It's not that much, just something for lunch and for Tsukiyomi-san. He wouldn't have eaten much this past week I can assume." Satisfied with the cooking food, he turned away from the stove and eyed the boy he had met only two months ago. "Now ... what exactly did he tell you?"

Sometime later, Ikuto emerged from the bathroom, a puff of steam twisting its way out behind him and floating up and off into non-existence. He had a fresh shirt and jeans on, and for the first time in a week he felt utterly cleansed. He looked to his right and saw Kairi sitting at the kitchen bench like he had been earlier, except the chair was turned so it was facing out away from the kitchen, and facing an identical chair next to it. Keen was stretched out on the couch nearby, typing on a laptop resting on his chest. As for the charas, they were sitting in a small group on the kitchen bench, having their own discussion. Both human boys looked towards him when he entered.

"Did you enjoy your shower, Tsukiyomi-san?"

Ikuto nodded. "It was something I needed."

"That's good. You do look cleaner, compared to earlier anyway. Kairi's making some lunch, if you're hungry."

At Keen's words, Ikuto eyed the food still simmering on the stove, the smell reaching his senses and causing his stomach to rumble with hunger. "That would be good, thank-you."

"It's almost finished. When it's done I'll serve it." Kairi said.

The catboy looked at the younger boy, and walked over to him, dumping his violin case and small rucksack next to the other chair. "I still can't believe I'm seeing you here, of all places. What are you doing here, Kairi?"

A small silence followed the question as the early pre-teen tried to take this in; Tsukiyomi Ikuto was here, in front of him. He never thought he would run into him after his escape, let alone anyone else he knew. And after hearing what his Australian friend had to say, he couldn't help but think that, perhaps there was hope after all. He pushed his glasses closer up his nose. "Maybe you should take a seat. I need to explain a lot to you."

"You mean the stuff you told me?" Keen said, eyes not leaving the small portable computer.

Ikuto blinked, but he chose not to say anything. Kairi nodded. "Yes, that subject. You don't mind if I tell him in my native language do you, Keen?"

"It's fine, go ahead."

Kairi gave a small nod in reply, and he turned back to face Ikuto, who had sat down on the chair opposite him. He switched his language to Japanese; he didn't mean to be rude, but he felt it was much easier and efficient this way. "But first, are you fully aware about what is going on, Tsukiyomi-san?"

"Please, call me Ikuto, Kairi. And as far as I've gathered, Tadase used the Embryo, didn't he?" Ikuto has also switched back to his first language.

"Yes. I don't know why, or how. But he did."

"You didn't see it happen?"

"No, I wasn't present at the time. I was still in my hometown at that point, when the colour faded away from this world. I was completely confused as to how it happened; there was no logical explanation for it. But then, a few days after this strange event, I got a phonecall..."

Ikuto looked at Kairi with a confused look, urging him to explain. Kairi paused before speaking and proceeded to take a sip of his tea. Tasting the odd flavour, he wrinkled his nose in response, and looked over to the boy on the couch, who was typing away, and also seemingly engrossed in the music coming from a pair of earphones.

"Keen, you had to get me with the sugar and salt prank again, didn't you?" Kairi said bluntly in English.

No response; the said teenager was fully distracted.

"Keen!"

"Huh?" Startled, he looked up from the computer and slid an earphone out of his ear so he could hear. "Yeah, Kairi?" His eyes moved to look at the mug in his hand, and he smirked.

"Did you spike the tea, like you did yesterday?"

"Who, me?"

"You're the only one here who does!"

"Heh, I couldn't resist. That prank is some of my finest material!"

Kairi sighed. "Just, don't do it again, please. Salt has a disgusting flavour when it's mixed with tea."

"Geez, lighten up Kairi! You should know me by now!" Keen said with a laugh.

"Right, for your constant pranks." Kairi shook his head in mock disapproval, and stood up to tend to the food. "Here, let me take that. He probably spiked it too." Kairi said as he took Ikuto's cup of tea and replaced it with a fresh one. He prepared the food into three bowls for them and set up some for the charas as well, and sat back down in his seat.

"Thanks, Kairi." Ikuto said, taking a sip of the warm soup.

"Its ok." Kairi took a breath, before continuing in his tale. "Anyway, I received a strange phonecall from Yuiki-san, asking me to come back. I was puzzled at this, until she told me of the shocking circumstances under which I must follow; it was only then that I realized that I had to leave my hometown. I traveled to Tokyo, and was further shocked to see what Yuiki-san had told me, which I assume is what you already know. From the day that I arrived there I was obligated to work under his orders, no questions asked."

Ikuto took this all in with no reaction on his face. He calmly took a sip of tea and placed the cup back on the bench. "So, you became a servant?"

Kairi ate some of his soup and nodded. "The King summoned all of us Guardians, and stated that we must work for him as part of his developing autocracy."

"Autocracy? What the hell?" He had heard of a democracy, but this?

"That's a form of government, whereas one person has complete control over a state or country which they govern." Kairi informed. "It's what he plans to initiate within the next year, or quite possibly strengthen."

"Except in this case, it's the entire world." Ikuto paused and drank more of his tea. "I still can't believe this, what he's doing, what he's done ... I mean, I know what his would-be self is like, but this is just unbelievable."

"Despite the chara for it, it is very unlike him to do something like this. Sadly, I never found out his motives behind it all."

"You didn't?"

"For the duration of my services which I provided, I only gathered an insufficient amount of information. From what I can understand, his chara is corrupted with an X, and that I believe has tainted the King's dreams."

Ikuto's eyes widened and blinked in shock at hearing this. "Eh? An X? But Easter isn't searching for the Embryo anymore, so there shouldn't be anymore X-eggs ... and I thought the Embryo didn't exist?"

"I wish I knew more, but this is all I could observe. Of course, it would make sense if he no longer believed in his would-be self, but if that was true, then why would he use the fabled Embryo to make all of this possible? It doesn't make any sense ..."

"Who knows? But there's one way to stop him; go to Tokyo, gather the other Guardians, and rebel against him."

Again, Kairi pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes, that seems like the most logical thing to do, except it would be quite a challenge. Since escaping, I haven't been able to contact the other Guardians, so planning ahead of time would be impossible." _Also, I want to be able to save the Joker, Hinamori-san, to prove myself worthy._

"We don't need to plan this though. We can travel out of this country, and get to the bottom of this once and for all, for everyone's sake." _Especially for Amu's._

The younger boy stared. Despite the dulled surroundings they lived in, he could see that there was a burning determination in Ikuto's eyes, one he hadn't seen before. Why? Why was he showing such willpower on the matter? He took one look at them and only had a feeling of pity for the catboy. If only he knew... that it wasn't as easy as he thought it was. _I learnt the hard way ..._ he thought as his hand slightly brushed against his right thigh. "Y-You see-

"Guys! Check this out!"

They looked over towards Keen, who had stood up from the couch. With laptop in hand, he wandered over to them and placed the laptop on the kitchen bench for them to see. "I found some more information on him that might help you, Ikuto."

Ikuto stared at the screen, almost completely dumbfounded. "Tadase has website?" Ikuto had switched back to English again.

Kairi recognized what was in front of him and regained composure. "Well, I was the one who watched over it. It hasn't been updated for a while, since I left Tokyo, so I don't think it'll be helpful ..."

Without another word, Ikuto started looking over the information presented in Japanese text on the screen. _So, he's watching our every move, huh? Yeah right ..._

"Why in the hell do you want to see him anyway? Just wondering, since it's not every day I run into someone so desperate to meet that self-proclaimed royal as you are." Keen asked.

Ikuto closed his eyes in deep thought; he knew from the start that he wouldn't want to explain his reasons for seeing Tadase to him. Sure, he could trust him more than any of the other people in this city, but he wasn't sure about talking about Tadase and his relevance to him. That, he thought, he should leave between him, Kairi, and hopefully anyone else he knew that he may run into later. "I have my reasons." he said simply.

"Ikuto-san, he knows." Kairi said in Japanese.

Ikuto's eyes snapped open at this. "You told him?" Ikuto replied in the same language. "Why?"

"He recognized me from the television long ago, when the King was announcing his first laws. He knows who I am just like the rest of the world does, so I had to tell him why I'm here and such." At hearing Kairi's words, Ikuto gave him a questioning look. The would-be samurai noticed this. "Don't you trust him?"

Ikuto kept his gaze fixed on Kairi, before averting it to the floor. "That's not it at all Kairi. I just don't want to get other people caught up in this mess." To this he got a confused look from the smart-looking boy. What was he talking about? He was only saying that-

"Ah, guys?"

The sound of hearing English words reminded them that their topic of conversation, who luckily didn't understand Japanese, was in the room as well. As Ikuto looked away and back to the computer, Kairi looked over to the speaker and switched back to English. "Sorry Keen. It was something that had to be said in our language. It's nothing important..."


	7. 6: Symphonic Sacrifice

**A note from Aimz: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS OLD CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ/REVIEW JUST YET. RE-WRITE IS COMING SOON.**

* * *

**.~.~.**

**Chapter 6: Symphonic Sacrifice **

**.~.~.**

It was three days later. Apart from Kairi, the only other person in the room was Ikuto, who was dozing quietly on the couch. Much like an alley cat, his body was sprawled out lazily over the worn upholstery, unmoving except for the occasional twitch. Despite getting sleep to some degree over time, his body wasn't entirely regenerated yet. Living on the streets had at last taken its toll on him, and all he could do was rest.

"Ikuto-san." Ikuto groaned something inaudible in response but did not move. Kairi shook his head; it was no use trying to wake him up. But still, he was persistent. He looked at the sleeping boy, who had remained on Keen's couch since last night, never shifting unless necessary. "Ikuto-san, please wake up." The older teen turned away, burying his face into the cushion. Kairi sighed.

"He's just tired-nya ..." Yoru could barely lift his head up, before going back to lying on a nearby pillow.

"We understand, but we also have to travel home as soon as we can." Musashi stated from his position on the top of the couch, looking down at Yoru.

The little cat turned to look over at the other chara, his tail twitching angrily. "But how can we do that if those cops won't let us!"

"Hush, both of you," Kairi spoke up, silencing the bickering charas. "I am currently trying to come up with a solution to that problem."

While Yoru went back to sleep, Musashi flew over to his owner's side and studied the papers sitting in front of him. The little samurai was shocked to find that these papers were somewhat familiar to him; he remembered that Kairi had also owned information like this sometime in the past. "Kairi! I thought you said you wouldn't deal with that suspicious group again!"

"I did say that, but Ikuto-san needs their help as well. Without it then leaving this country undetected will be impossible." Kairi said, understanding his chara's concern.

"If you will remember though, you nearly died when you asked for their help."

The younger boy knew his chara was right. He remembered that night well, when he had noticed that flash of silver in that man's pocket under darkness, that menacing look half-hidden by shadowed light...but he chose not to dwell on that horrible experience. "...They told me it should be ready by tonight. Ikuto-san and I are meeting them then."

Musashi sighed. "Just be careful. Those men are unpredictable, and because we haven't been able to character transform since leaving Tokyo, you won't be able to protect yourself or others."

"I know, but it shouldn't be necessary." Kairi pushed his glasses up his nose as he said this and quickly glanced over the papers, as if to make sure the information was correct.

"You should be able to character change at least and protect yourself that way."

Maybe he could character change, but Musashi obviously did not remember when his attacker had sliced through his wooden weapon with a jagged knife. Kairi looked over at his chara. "I guess so...but the stick isn't strong enough if a metal object can destroy it."

Musashi floated over to the bench and stood next to the papers, and looked up at his owner."Kairi. Please, do not doubt the power of what you call 'the stick'," Musashi said seriously. "It is your strongest asset, until you regain the power to character transform again."

The front door creaking open caught Kairi's attention. He looked over his shoulder and saw that it was Keen that had entered the apartment. As per usual, he had his guitar case slung over his shoulder; it never seemed to leave his side. He locked the door behind him and walked over to the kitchen bench, flashing a smile at Kairi. Satoru hovered next to him.

"Hello Keen," Kairi said as his friend dumped the case on the bench in front of him. "How did you go today?"

"Pretty alright. For once the cops didn't notice a thing." Keen commented as he leant on the bench, elbows propped up on the surface. He yawned despite himself. "Which I'm glad for; I didn't feel like being chased around town today anyway."

Kairi eyed the case, before looking back at Keen. "Haven't you ever considered trying to get a _real_ job?" He knew what risks his friend was taking every time he went out to the nearby city to earn money. Sometimes he wondered how he managed to get away with it most of the time, especially since Tadase's law stated that such an activity was prohibited.

"Well, yeah... but I haven't found one I want to do yet." He flipped open the empty case, and pulled out a small wad of paper bills from the inside pocket. Looking through it, he counted out a few notes. "Would 20 dollars be ok?"

"Yes, that added to what I have already should be fine. Thanks again, Keen."

"Meh, it's alright. I don't mind helping you guys out at all." Keen said with a grin as he placed the money into Kairi's hand. His eyes then trailed down to focus on the papers sitting in front of his friend. He scanned the page quickly, before looking back up. "You're getting Ikuto a fake ID?"

"I normally wouldn't result in dealing with such criminal activity, but I haven't got much of a choice." As Kairi spoke this, Keen disappeared behind the bench, and came back with a loaf of bread. "If he wants to leave this country without the police catching him, then this is what we have to do. It's all part of the plan."

"Ah, that's right, I remember now. It's a good idea." Keen grabbed some butter and cheese from the fridge, as well as a knife from the drawer, and started buttering some bread. "Just you guys be careful; that area gets pre-tty shady at night," he said, drawling out the 'e' deliberately.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I was when I got mine."

Keen nodded, took a bite from his finished sandwich, then looked over to where Ikuto was still sleeping. A little snore escaped him as he snuggled into his pillow. Kairi noticed, and followed his line of vision, and noticed what he was looking at. "He's been asleep since last night. Living out there for a week in the streets can do that to you I guess." Kairi turned back to look at Keen; his eyes had not budged. "Don't bother trying Keen, he won't wake up."

"He won't, hm?" Keen said thoughtfully, as if he had some sort of plan brewing in his mind. He took another bite of his sandwich.

"No. And I said to them that we would be meeting them at ten o'clock—

"It's only eight."

"Exactly. I was hoping he would be awake soon, so we could leave a little earlier. But he hasn't yet, even though that's all he has been doing all day." Kairi said, whilst eyeing Ikuto's sleeping form once more.

Keen finished off his late lunch and again looked over at Ikuto. "Hmm...you know what this calls for?"

"What?" Kairi asked.

"I thought you would've figured it out by now!" Keen said with a slight chuckle and a roll of his eyes. "I think this calls for a prank!" He then rushed off to his bedroom; rummaging through items could be heard moments later. "Heheh, I know just the one too!" Kairi followed him with widened eyes and a worried look on his face.

"Keen, I don't think he will like it!" But the other boy ignored Kairi's words, and continued looking through his room. Kairi couldn't help but notice that the clean room was now no more; it was now littered with balls of screwed-up paper from a knocked-over wastepaper basket, as well as the various stuff from the closet that Keen was now tossing out onto his bed.

"Found it!" After finding whatever he was looking for, Keen rushed out of the room again. Kairi shook his head and followed him out. At least he wasn't going to—

"H-Hey!" Ikuto said with a low grunt of irritation as he opened his eyes, only to meet them with Keen's ever-so-happy presence looking down at him. He groaned again as he wiped his now-wet face; that annoying kid just had to wake him up didn't he?

"Rise and shine!" Keen said as he held up a small water sprayer. Again he pointed the nozzle at Ikuto and sprayed more of the liquid at him, right in his face.

"Knock it off!" Ikuto growled in Japanese as he grabbed his pillow and held it out in front of him, using it as a sort of shield.

Keen laughed at Ikuto's initial reaction, and stopped spraying the water. "Sorry Ikuto, but hey, at least it woke you up. Your reaction was freaking priceless though!"

Kairi walked over to them, and saw the water sprayer in his friend's hand. "Really Keen, water?"

"He's lucky I didn't chuck a bucketload of it on him." Kairi had to admit, Ikuto would probably hate that more than just a few drops being squirted at him. At least Keen didn't resort to doing that.

"You can say that again." Ikuto grumbled as he sat up and wiped the cold wake-up call away with his shirt sleeve. "What did you want?"

"Well, I didn't _intend_ for Keen to wake you like that," Kairi said, giving Keen a sidelong glance as he spoke. "But we have to go to the Docklands area soon if you want your new passport and identifications."

"Really?" Ikuto checked the time on his watch. "Oh, you're right." He placed his feet on the floor and stood up, stretching briefly and yawning. "I really needed that sleep ... alright, when are we leaving?"

"Very soon, if my schedule is correct."

"Are you guys sure about going? Like I said, it can get really dangerous around there at night."

Kairi took Keen's words into deep consideration. He placed a hand on his chin as he thought, before coming to a conclusion. "Hm, you could come with us if you want Keen. I don't mind, and the extra back-up would be nice."

Ikuto groaned inwardly. "Kairi's right." He just hoped he wasn't dragging this guy further into business he was better off not knowing about. "I'm going to have another shower." _And wake up properly_, he added silently to himself, before leaving the room.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

"Is this the right place?"

"Yes. This was the address written on the papers. I don't think they would lie. They didn't last time."

Ikuto (who was well-disguised thanks to his hat and glasses from earlier) and Kairi were walking along the boardwalks that made up the docks of the aptly-named Melbourne Docklands. Grey moonlight was only a hidden source of guidance that bathed the silent area in patches; wide docks stretched as far as the eye could see out into the hazy shadows. Every few metres a small boat could be seen sitting on the liquid velvet water, and sometimes a stray seagull would break the quiet and squawk as they flew overhead.

A cold breeze wafted past. Kairi shivered slightly and glanced over his shoulder behind him. Somewhere back at the first dock Keen was standing on-guard and out of sight; Kairi wasn't sure how these people would react if they saw an extra person with them, and he did not want to know the consequences if he found out.

With their charas following behind them, the two males reached a single spotlight that eliminated a small area of the dock. They halted under the light, as Kairi peered at the information in his hands.

"What does it say?" Ikuto asked, shifting the violin case on his back to a more comfortable position. After the Death Rebel incident, he didn't like leaving the instrument out of his sight, even if places such as Keen's apartment were considered a safehouse. He just didn't want to risk it.

"If I remember correctly, the exchange occurred somewhere—

"Psst. Over here."

Ikuto and Kairi turned towards the voice, which was coming from a nearby pile of crates. They weren't sure which was more surprising; that the voice wasn't recognisable, or the fact that they had spoken in Japanese.

"No, you go over there, bitch!" A low male voice growled in English, before pushing the source out from behind the crates and out into the open. The person stumbled, catching their breath before steadying themselves once more. Sending a cold glare at the shadowed culprit, they looked away and moved out of the darkness and into the light.

Both Ikuto and Kairi stared at the girl standing in front of them, not sure of what to think. They looked at each other; Kairi carrying a look of understanding, while Ikuto's was of confusion. "Is this the person we're doing the deal with?" he whispered in Japanese.

Kairi nodded. "These men always send out a representative in their name to carry out their deals. It happened to me last time, only then it was with a different person. I find it odd that they have sent a girl this time though."

"Right. It does seem strange."

"Uh, are you two done talking about me?" They looked back at the young teenager, who was now pushing her mid-length hair back over her shoulder. The way it fell in curls reminded Kairi of a person he may have vaguely seen back in his Seiyo Academy days, but he dismissed the thought, as the odds of this person being the same as the one in his memory were next to none.

"Sorry," Kairi said, figuring that they have decided to send in someone who spoke his native language in order to make the deal easier. "Um, we have the payment for the documents I asked for."

However, the girl did not hear him; she was too distracted by the tall, older and _good-looking_ teenager standing with Kairi. Her cold stare appeared to have been thawed, and were now looking up at Ikuto with warm admiration. Ikuto in return only gave her a weird stare back, and averted his eyes away from her carelessly. Still, she smiled up at him, completely caught up by his presence.

Kairi cleared his throat, catching the girl's attention once more. Tearing her eyes away from Ikuto, she focused them back on what her bosses said was their client. In that moment the warm glaze had hardened back into a frosty look. "Ah, yes. Where is it?"

Both boys had agreed earlier that they would split the money between themselves in case they got mugged. So when she asked for the payment, Ikuto and Kairi both reached into their pockets and produced a small roll of money each, no more than two hundred Australian dollars combined. It was the result of Keen's earnings and savings, as well as whatever Kairi had scrapped up in yen that since then had been converted.

The girl smirked at this. She stared at the money through glinting eyes, as if a flash of nostalgia had hit her. What they held was nothing to her! Oh, how she missed those days when _she_ had owned such wealth, such status... and now she was reduced to—

She snatched the money from both boys' hands. "I'll be back with your documents." With a huff and a slight toss of her hair, she turned away and walked back to the crated area.

"This is weird..." Ikuto said as he looked out towards the water.

"Yeah I know, but this is how they work." Kairi assured him. "Trust me, this will be all worthwhile for you. Then we can both leave and hopefully get back to Tokyo."

"Yeah I know. It's just _those_ people I don't trust, Kairi."

A sheafing through paper bills and hushed voices could be heard. Then silence. Then an unexpected cry of outrage that caught them by surprise.

"You told us you would have the money, kid!"

"That isn't enough?"

"Nowhere near enough! Now go back out there and get us the real deal!"

"No! I'm sick of this treatment! This—

An unseen crate toppling over and the pulling back of a trigger could be heard in the brief moment of silence. "Need we remind you of the people who took you in when you arrived in this country?"

"L-Let me go, you, you—!" At hearing her plea, Ikuto started to rush forward, only to be pulled back by Kairi.

The older boy looked back at the younger male, mouth open to say something in protest. However, Kairi silenced him with his words. "Do you really think we stand a chance against their guns and knives, even in a character change?"

"Kairi—!"

"I want to save her too, but it's too dangerous. I know what we're up against, it's not worth it."

Eventually, the girl was pushed back out to Kairi and Ikuto, now with a red handprint and fingernail marks indented on her left cheek. She was holding back tears at the sheer unfairness of it all, masked behind a cold glare at the boys in front of her.

Ikuto couldn't take it. He needed these documents, and he didn't want to see anyone get hurt because of this. Before he knew what he was thinking, the words formed and tumbled out of his mouth. "Wait! I-I have a form of payment!" Keeping up a calm demeanour, he then slipped the violin case off his shoulder, and offered it to the girl. "Will this be enough to pay for it?"

Kairi's jaw dropped, while Yoru flew over to Ikuto's side in alarm. "What are you doing, Ikuto!" he exclaimed. "Your dad left that for you! It's your most prized possession-nya!" But he was ignored; except for a sidelong glance from his owner, nothing more was said.

The messenger blinked at the instrument in front of her, before taking it into her hands. She flipped open the cover; it was inside, its condition as good as if it were sold to him yesterday. She looked back up at Ikuto with an unemotional gaze; "I'll go ask them. Stay here." And with that, she turned away, retreating to the shadows once more.

"Ikuto-san, you don't have to—

"It's fine." Ikuto said sharply. "Really Kairi, it is. If it will get me out of this place and back to Tokyo, then it is worth the sacrifice."

"B-But...what would your father think?" The question, both spoken by his friend and his conscience, nagged at the back of his mind, refusing to leave. A sense of guilt washed over him; _would dad allow me to give up the only memento I have of him if he found out?_

When he saw the girl reapproaching them, he considered taking back his words and his violin. But those hopes were dashed when he saw that she carried a thick envelope in its place; he knew then that it was too late to retrieve it now.

"Here is your documents." She said hurriedly, passing them to Kairi. Before she turned away though, she asked a question in nothing more than a quiet whisper: "Are you two from Japan, by any chance?"

Both boys seemed shocked by this. In their daze they found themselves nodding. The girl smirked and let out a light laugh. "If you ever go back there, tell my beloved Tadase-sama that _I_ still love him. And that _I_ want to see him again, since we are both on the same level when it comes to social status—

"You bitch! Hurry up and come back here!" that gruff voice commanded from the crates.

"How dare they talk to me like that..." she mumbled and, with another backing glare at the crates, she turned and ran off.

Ikuto blinked in disbelief. "What the—?"

"I don't know. I have this feeling that she went to our school...but I never knew her, so I don't know." Kairi said, seeing and understanding Ikuto's confusion. "Let's go, Ikuto-san. It's getting late."

He felt numb, like he had let go of a part of himself, and now that part was unobtainable, and forever lost. What on earth was he thinking, doing what he just did? Was it worth going after them now, while he still could? He had the Dumpty Key in his pocket; he could just transform with Yoru and—

"Ikuto-san?"

Ikuto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up in a moment of exasperation. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Without another word, both boys turned and walked down the wide walkway, towards the exit of the docks where Keen was waiting for them.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

While they were walking to the nearest tram stop, Ikuto paused at a wall to look at that now-familiar wanted poster of himself. He scanned the photo once more. He remembered when that picture was taken; with Tadase in his backyard. It had been one of the last photos he had taken before he had left Tokyo two years ago.

_Wanted for theft._ Theft of what? He hadn't stolen anything. As far as he was concerned, it was all an excuse for Tadase to place him behind bars, for whatever reason. He remembered telling Kairi that, if Tadase wanted him, then why didn't he just turn himself in?

"_Because there is no guarantee that you'll be taken to him... I never knew in all my time of serving him, that he was seeking you. That poster is very vague, who knows what could happen? The chance of you being kept here in prison is more likely than being transported back to Tokyo."_

Ikuto looked back at himself, his younger self. He hadn't changed; probably the main reason why that photo was used. But while on the outside he remained the same, on the inside he was not.

"Ikuto-san, the tram is coming."

The boys found a worn-out tram seat, just as the doors closed. Eventually Kairi and Keen engaged in a conversation, but Ikuto refused to be a part of it. Instead he looked out the window at the black-and-white nightlife, and felt that he was shedding an outside shell. Kairi had already given up his past, and only revealed it to the only people he could trust; it was not new to him. But for Ikuto, it was just beginning. Giving up his violin meant that he had already let go of his true identity, allowing him to step into the future as somebody else.

Kairi noticed Ikuto's spaced out gaze, and did not try to talk him back into reality. He did feel that, however, that he was thinking the same thing that was on his mind constantly; Amu. It was a given that she was in their thoughts; after all, they both loved her. And now they were now one step closer to her, and to Tadase.

Phase one of the plan was complete.

* * *

**A note from Aimz:** And there's the first cameo done! Can anyone guess who that girl was? I'll give you a hint: us as fans find her annoying in the anime and manga :P


	8. 7: Slipping Through Iron Cracks

**A note from Aimz: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS OLD CONTENT. PLEASE DO NOT READ/REVIEW JUST YET. RE-WRITE IS COMING SOON.**

To anyone who guessed that Saaya was the girl that did the deal with Ikuto and Kairi last chapter, then you are correct. That being said, I'm going to try and involve minor Shugo Chara characters in this story, regardless if they are part of the manga or the anime in one way or another, since they don't get enough love. Keep an eye out for the next cameo.

Also, I have more artwork posted on my profile, only this time I did not do any of it. They are art requests of Keen that I asked of various people to do for me. I've also got some sketches of him posted as well.

Again, many apologies for the slow updates. Life calls, you know? Not to mention university. I have a feeling this story will take a while to finish, since I have **AT** **LEAST** 20 chapters planned... But as long as I keep repeating the "I will finish this story" mantra to myself, then I will complete this story! (It is one of my New Year's resolutions anyway...). So please, if you could stick it out and be patient too, it would be appreciated. As I have told many people, I **will** finish this story even if it takes me ten years (let's just hope it doesn't take that long!)

Keep the comments and critique coming everyone! I appreciate any feedback, and thank you for the feedback so far :D

* * *

**.~.~.**

**Chapter 7: Slipping Through Iron Cracks**

**.~.~.**

The sky was alight with the tone of darkness. Quiet touches of wind weaved its way through gaps, kissing trees and bushes and wrapping around them like ribbons. Shadows licked at the corners of the surrounding buildings, making them seem like they had been streaked with thick black paint. Overhead the moon remained half-hidden by clouds that barely obscured its light, accompanying the stars that failed to shine down on the earth below. Overall, a grey glow was present on the scene, silhouetting the peaceful area of Tokyo, Japan without a trace.

For Kairi, it couldn't have been more perfect.

He lowered a branch away from his face and pushed his glasses up his nose, and quickly surveyed the scene around him. The bush he was hiding in had prickles, and he already had a scratch on his arm and an itchy leg as a result. But despite the urge, he knew now was not the time. He had to leave at the **right** time, a precise moment. He couldn't crawl out of hiding now; not yet. Not until the final light coming from the king's bedroom window had been switched off.

A grey patch of light coming from a room in Seiyo Academy flickered and faded into black. That was it; the last one. Everyone was in their rooms sound asleep. It was time.

He would have to hurry, before anyone noticed his absence. With any luck both of the two 'Jacks' would have checked his room, and figured out his plans instantly. He didn't have any more time to spare. Quickly the younger boy stepped out from relative safety behind a small bush, and scurried out into the shadows.

Whilst sidestepping along the cold wall, Kairi had to admit to himself that this feat was easier than he had first thought. He initially had the idea that it was virtually impossible to escape Tokyo, let alone Japan, without being discovered. But what he was experiencing now was too easy. It wasn't as simple as walking around the Royal Garden as he had once done in the past, but it wasn't impossible, thankfully.

Seeing that it was safe, the young teen slipped a foot out of the dark veil. The black shape slid upwards, but Kairi chose to ignore it. He felt fully exposed; but now, there was no retreating back into the shadows.

_Should I walk, or should I run? If I run, what are the odds that someone will hear me? _He started crossing the lawn at a walk at a pace that was not too slow, but was faster than normal.

_Joker. I need to find anyone that can help, but I promise you that I will come back to save you and the King. I promise... _If only his pride had let him say that to her, despite the circumstances. But it was too late now. A silent word would have to do.

_I love you, Joker... Hinamori-san._

With each pant he took another step. With each breath he got closer to the exit. Musashi sensed how uptight his owner was and floated by his side, not uttering a word at all. The little chara looked back and noticed that they were halfway down the path. But...something wasn't right. Someone else was in the area, with them. "Kairi," he whispered. "Prepare yourself. I sense..."

Kairi didn't hear the small warning. He found his stride increasing, his palms sweating despite the cold, his heart beating faster in reaction to the rising tension. Both the Royal Garden and Seiyo Academy were getting steadily more distant, but he didn't look back. His eyes remained fixated on the goal in front of him. Not much further now, only a few more meters to go—

"What do you think you're doing, servant?"

Both owner and chara caught their last breath before they halted in moving. Kairi's eyes widened as he let out a choked gasp.

"Are you leaving? You know I stated that _no one_ is to leave this place unless my consent is given."

Footsteps could be heard, getting closer. He knew what was behind him, and he didn't want to face them.

Kairi felt a metal object jab into the back of his neck. The sudden prod caused him to let out a small yelp in pain, and the coldness of it resting against his heated skin sent a small shiver down Kairi's spine. He stood his ground, not daring himself to turn around or to speak. Tadase's voice was ever demanding and void of emotion, as he held the sceptre against Kairi's neck. "Answer me, servant."

He feared he was trapped, forced to become loyal once again...not anymore. Without a word or second glance, he braced himself and sprinted forward. Whatever Tadase said in response he didn't hear; his full attention was focused on freedom, and only freedom.

As his panting goes heavier, and his footfalls landed hard against the earth, Kairi found himself thinking, repeating the same thoughts as if were a set mantra. _Freedom, freedom...that gate! _Having a picture of the young pink-haired girl he desired set in his mind, he continued running as fast as he could.

_I am so sorry my King, but this samurai... will serve you no longer..._

"Royal Storm!"

Kairi didn't have time to glance back, before a dazzling electric bolt sizzled past his at a fast speed, grazing his outer thigh. Stumbling in mid-air, Kairi yelled out as his knees gave way. His glasses fell off as he skidded across the grass after falling. Panting and gasping heavily, he brushed aside a tear in his pants and studied his damaged leg through impaired eyes; an ugly-looking burn was already starting to form.

"I see where your loyalty lies now... useless Jack."

Darkness tried to overlap with darkness, but Kairi wouldn't let them. Wincing slightly, he wearily lifted his head up, and found himself looking at a blurred figure that was moving closer towards him. He tried to say something, but his mouth refused to work. I can't escape, was his first thought. However, all was forgotten when he felt Musashi initiate a character change, and he rose to his feet to face Tadase. His eyes glanced over into the distance, towards the exit, towards freedom.

_I...have not failed you yet..._

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Ikuto gazed out of the tram window. The view was all-too familiar to him now, so it was not surprising that he had no interest in the passing city buildings or the pedestrians that accompanied them. Turning away from the scene, he focused on Kairi. He noticed that the other boy had fallen asleep, despite the short trip. He must not have gotten enough sleep the previous night. Ikuto found that he didn't really pity him. With a mental reminder to wake him up once they got to Federation Square, he looked out the window again. He caught Kairi's sleeping face reflected in the glass out of the corner of his eye.

"~Nya...are we there yet, Ikuto?"

"No, not yet Yoru." Ikuto muttered to the chara sitting on his shoulder. Yoru only nodded, yawned and gazed out the window with his owner.

Ikuto gave Yoru a sidelong glance. This thought had only entered his mind recently, when he had the time to think...but he had to wonder, was this the reason he had returned to him? Long ago, when he had been roaming the streets of England was when the little cat had tearfully admitted that Ikuto had gained his freedom, and then went back inside his egg, and his heart, forever. But it was only recently– within the span of a year easily– when he had been reborn, after a brief scuffle in Paris that Ikuto preferred not to think about. He remembered his chara's words back then; "_You're still far from freedom Ikuto-nya, I just don't know why..."_

Whatever that meant.

The thought of the cat chara led Ikuto's thoughts to his other egg, a pure black one that he had acquired after the Death Rebel incident with Easter. That, along with Yoru, had allowed him to character transform into a pirate-type character. Now, these days that egg spent its time at the bottom of his bag, unmoving and cold. He had to ask himself, would it ever hatch?

Forcing himself to not think of eggs, Ikuto looked back at his sleeping accomplice, his face now half-hidden by the similar-looking hat he was wearing. He knew in his heart that he was grateful for Kairi's help. He just hoped that he knew what he was doing, because as each day passed the more impatient he got.

And there was the issue of his father...Kairi had told him some time ago that seen his face in the newspaper; a small picture in the classifieds section. And he even said he may have glanced at him in the crowd one time ago. Could that mean that he was also here in Australia?

Ultimately, it gave Ikuto the question that constantly threatened to tear him in half; should he risk abandoning the search for his father to save Amu, only to lose him now when he was so close to finding him?

The tram screeched to a grinding halt; with a jolt, Kairi sat straight up with eyes wide open. "A-Are we here?" he said, looking out the window.

"Yeah, we're here." Ikuto replied. He stood up from his seat, adjusting his hat and fake glasses as he did so. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, and pulled his jacket closer around his body. "Let's go, Kairi."

Kairi stood up and followed Ikuto out. He paused at the door when he felt the cool air hit his face. Stunned, he let a hand brush his right thigh, where that burn would forever be imprinted. Closing his eyes, he could hear it as if they had freshly happened; the cold wind, the rustling grass, _his_ voice... his escape.

Musashi noticed his owner's distant look. "Kairi."

He had to remind himself, he was glad to have left Tokyo, and Japan, when he did. At his chara's words Kairi snapped out of it, putting the nightmare of a few months ago behind him once his feet touched the ashpelt.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

It was the second phase of the plan, Kairi liked to call it. If they were to travel to Tokyo to save the world (and Tadase, and Amu), then they would have to accumulate the right amount of money to do so first before they could hope to set foot in a plane. But, how could they earn that much cash, and in the little time that they had? As much as Ikuto wanted to just somehow sneak their way onto a flight, he knew that wouldn't do them any favours if they got caught, which was likely.

But, at the same time, he didn't think he would have to get a job. It was the last thing on my mind. And that was another flaw in Kairi's plan; the police weren't stupid. What if they ignored his false identification, and arrested him anyway? I'll tackle that event when it comes, he thought.

"Kairi, I don't think this plan will work..." Ikuto said, his tone somewhere between all-knowing and not caring.

Kairi looked at Ikuto and quickly shushed him. "My name is not Kairi." He then added in a quieter tone, "Please remember our identities for the time being, Steven."

Ikuto stared at the younger boy as if he had just told him that his hair was made of seaweed, but he understood and shook the reaction off quickly and relaxed. He wasn't used to the name of his new alias yet, or Kairi's for that matter. "Right. Sorry, Beau."The unfamiliar word felt bitter on his tongue. He stared out in front of him. "Do you really think getting a job will work?"

Kairi was silent as he thought his idea through. "Well, now that I think about it, it does seem highly unlikeable ..."

"You only say this now?" Ikuto's voice was muffled slightly due to his clenched teeth.

A shrill sound made itself known from across the road, and a small man-shaped symbol set in a walking position lit up. As if on cue the mass of people that were gathered at the corner started moving across the road, Ikuto and Kairi both caught up somewhere amongst them. Their charas were missing; both Yoru and Musashi, the latter being forced, had flown off sometime earlier to explore the great city before them.

"Think about it Ik—Steven; we have to earn money somehow. And if this is the only way then we have no choice but to take it."

Ikuto hated to admit it, but he was right. "Are you even allowed to get one? Aren't you too young?"

"Well, under normal circumstances, yes."

"These circumstances are anything but normal."

"...But, as I've explained to you, the King changed all that. Under his new law, children over the age of twelve are allowed to work. It is only optional though; unless they own a chara, by which it is compulsory. He had to set it to allow me and the other Guardians work for him."

"But how does that work? Not everyone can see charas, so the chara-bearers can get away with it."

"That's the reasoning for the increase in younger officers, remember?"

Ikuto nodded. He remembered vaguely in a conversation where Kairi had mentioned the current structure of the abiding law systems in different countries. Because of Tadase's law, all police forces were to employ young adults over eighteen who are still able to see charas. It explained a lot of things, in particular why that one officer could see his character change. "It sounds ridiculous. What if these supposed chara-seekers can't see them?"

"Apparently there's a way to find out if they can see charas or not. I never found out the exact method though, unfortunately."

Once they reached the opposite side of the road, Ikuto turned to look at Kairi as they walked. "You're still looking for a job, even after being here for months?"

At this, Kairi averted his eyes away from Ikuto and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well...i-it's particularly hard to find one, even with this new alias..."

The older teenager shook his head in mild disbelief. "This isn't going to work..."

"I understand the frustration, but this is the best I can come up with that won't attract the most attention." Kairi looked out ahead of him, and sighed. "Do you have a better idea then, Steven?"

Ikuto also hated to admit it, but he didn't. Apart from his previous plans of sneaking through the airport security system, which had proved to be a failure anyway. Still, apart from the obvious, there had to be an easier way to escape than this, right?

"Because I broke away, and now I am free..."

That familiar voice accompanied by music became known to both boys once they turned the corner. Ikuto didn't seem to notice; Kairi on the other hand, took one look at where the singing voice was coming from and slapped his forehead in response.

Ikuto stared at Kairi. "Hm?"

Kairi groaned. "I thought Keen would have learnt by now, that's all..." Ikuto didn't understand exactly what that meant. Instead, he let his eyes follow Kairi's line of vision until they focused on one of the concrete ledges in front of the Visitors Centre, and on a figure that was moving around on one of them.

Keen didn't take notice of either Ikuto nor Kairi's presence; he was way too engrossed in the little musical performance he was giving. Usually not a day went by when he wasn't doing this, standing in the streets of Melbourne, holding his trusty electric guitar and belting out a tune he had written himself. He often got weird looks from passerby for doing so, but he didn't care.

A small skull-shaped pendant glinted off a silver chain hanging from his left jeans pocket; the evidence of a character change with Satoru. Grinning, his fingers moved into position to form the chord he only taught himself last week, and as his eyes caught a five dollar bill sitting in the open case on the ground, he began singing the chorus.

"I'm free, I'm back! I'm coming down the right track! The line's been drawn, my boundaries gone, drive through your fantasy but leave me behind! I'm free, I'm back, I've slipped through the iron cracks!" Like liquid his fingers moved across the fret board, forming chords that went in tune with the words. The instrument's built-in amps carried the music out for anyone nearby to hear.

_So...this is what the kid does?_ Ikuto figured Kairi probably would have said something about this to him at some point, but if he did he never noticed. He had more important things to think about and do, then watch their friend having fun whilst making the money that helped them out.

"Let's go, Kairi," Ikuto said with a shoulder shrug as he turned away and continued walking. Kairi went to correct him, but Ikuto interrupted. "I don't think anyone is listening or caring." he pointed out.

Kairi shook his head in disbelief, shot one last look at Keen, and followed Ikuto to another set of traffic lights. He knew what his friend was getting into, and he was pretty sure he knew as well.

"Yeah!" Keen shouted, before moving into the next part. One more chorus and he'll be done for this area today, and then he would be forced to move on to the next one. It was always the same process, it never changed; but it never used to be like this. Instead of thinking about it too much, he allowed himself to lose himself in the music as per usual.

He heard the sound of clinking metal, but he didn't pause in his singing or playing to see how much coinage had been dropped. Instead, his gaze shifted and caught a girl of his age, who was walking away with a group of her girl friends. He flashed a smile at her, knowing full well she wouldn't have seen it. Focusing back on his performance, he began strumming steadily, setting himself up for the finale.

"I'm free!" Once the final note had been played, Keen enthusiastically punched the air with his fist, index finger and pinkie sticking out. Still in a giddy mood, he quickly placed the guitar down next to him and with a cheer, jumped off the block he liked to call his 'stage'.

Meanwhile, the trio of girls from earlier stood nearby and watched as Keen fell flat on his face. They giggled at the sight.

"Keen!" Satoru said, as he flew down to his owner. The teenager was already pulling himself up off the ground, rubbing his forehead where he had knocked it.

Keen grimaced slightly. "That'll go well with the other bruises, won't it?"

The little chara sighed. "You've gotta stop doing that..."

"Uh, who was the one under the character change and didn't know what he was doing again?" Not that he minded, but Satoru could get easily carried away with anything music-related; so carried away that his character change often got carried away too.

"Does it matter? It was still a rockin' performance!"

Despite what had just happened, he knew he couldn't argue with his chara's logic there. "Heh, damn straight!" Keen grinned and stuck his hand out for Satoru to slap in a hi-5. Nearby, the girls were huddled close together, exchanging words with each other.

"Didn't he used to go to our school?" one of the girls whispered.

"I think so ..." was the quiet reply.

"I reckon he's kinda cute." The one with waist-length hair said, smiling at Keen. While he was getting back onto his feet, he heard that last comment. Turning to face the girls, he saw their retreating backs, the long-haired one looking over her shoulder to glance back at him. He blushed slightly despite himself; he usually did when girls commented on him like that. Of course, it was only _that_ girl ...

"Keen!"

"Huh?" He turned around and saw Kairi running over to him, with Ikuto trailing along behind him. "Hey guys!" he greeted.

Kairi was the first to speak once he and Ikuto reached Keen. "Are you alright? We saw your fall and—

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's not like I haven't done it before." Keen replied with a sheepish grin. He quickly looked around, before looking back at Kairi and Ikuto. "Were you guys watching that?"

"We were just passing and heard. It's kind of hard not to hear it." Kairi said matter-of-factly.

"Well, yeah, that's true." He said as he retrieved the guitar from the block. "How's the job searching going?"

"We've barely made any progress at all."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you two will find something eventually."

"Otherwise you could jam with us!" Satoru piped up. Ikuto and Kairi both got a mental image of what it would be like if the three of them were working together as some sort of semi-famous rock band, but quickly dismissed the thought. They both preferred not to go to those sort of extremes.

Keen walked over to his nearby guitar case and placed the instrument inside it. As he shut the case the guitar vanished, as did the jeans chain. He smiled and swung the case over his shoulder and glanced at his watch. "Crap, time for me to move on. See you guys back at my place?"

"Yeah, kid." Ikuto said.

Keen raised an eyebrow at Ikuto. "I'm only two years younger than you, you know."

Ikuto mentally looked the other boy up and down. He only came up to Ikuto's shoulders in height. Still, in his eyes, the kid was a kid who just happened to help them out a little, and nothing more. He thought he heard a wailing siren in the distance, but didn't think much of it.

Kairi seemed to hear it though, as well as sense the tension."We'll see you later then, Keen." he said, before turning to Ikuto. "Quick, we need to—

The sound of bleeping sirens cut him off. Once screeching tyres could be heard, the three boys turned around to see two police cars parked on the sidewalk, and three officers running towards them.

Kairi was the first to speak up. "Oh no, they've found us!" He tensed up, body going rigid as unwanted memories filled his mind again. Before he knew it, he was thinking about his escape from Japan once more. It was as if he were relieving the terror all over again.

"Crap, how did they find us?" Ikuto muttered, annoyed. He was in no mood to deal with them today. They were almost as pesky as Easter's employees.

Now it was Keen's turn to look uncomfortable. "Uhhh..."

Ikuto eyed the boy with disdain. "What?"

"... I didn't tell you that one of the laws made was that busking is prohibited?" Ikuto didn't even bother answering that.

"Stop right there! You three are under arrest!" The woman police officer called out, gun raised. The younger chief and his older accomplice also brought out their guns and pointed them at the boys, who were now standing together, back-to-back.

"I-I tried to tell you, Ikuto-san..." Kairi whispered quietly so that the cops wouldn't hear him. The boys didn't think to fish out their false ids; instead, they acted on instinct and froze.

"Aruto Tsukiyomi, you just love to break the law, don't you?"

_... they think I'm my dad?_ Ikuto wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. _Wait, he's wanted too? I guess, if the kid's right, then he must be playing the violin and getting into trouble for it. _Ikuto chose to stay silent, and let them think what they wanted.

"And Kairi Sanjou, I'm sure the King would love to hear that you've been caught at last!" Kairi gasped in shock at being recognized by the police. He wasn't entirely sure what they would do to Ikuto, but what would they do to him? Would that mean ... he had to go back?

Eyes widened in fear, Keen took a small step back, his gaze looking towards the barrel of that gun pointed at him. Noticing that the gun had a faint black glow surrounding it, he knew what would happen if that police officer shot one of those bullets into him. If he moved another step, it would be like last time. He reluctantly put his hands up above his head. "Damnit ..."

Satoru floated over to his owner. "Keen, we need to character change and attack!"

"Satoru, you know how I feel about that—

"You shouldn't let 'em push you around!"

"Stop talking to the chara, now! Otherwise we'll open fire!" the younger officer demanded, whilst getting weird looks from his partners. Satoru flew behind Keen's shoulder, looking over it and giving the police officers death glares.

Keen sighed. "I knew this would happen..."

"And you know what the consequences are? Jail!" The older police officer said with a little smirk.

"J-Jail? What happened to the fine? Oh ... is this because I stole your hat?" His question was directed at the younger officer.

"You know it isn't!"

"Look, I would pay it, but I kinda don't have the money at the moment."

"I wonder where all _that_ money went." Ikuto said with sarcasm in his voice. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anything at the moment; being caught only annoyed him further.

"Why should I have to pay for something I love doing and never cost me in the past?" Keen retorted.

"All of you are to stay quiet when we tell you to!" The female officer said. The area was silent again, except for the usual amount of locals walking past and sneaking a curious glance at what was going on.

The younger police officer nudged the older one. "Sorry but ... who exactly is this guy?" he asked, gesturing at Keen, who still had his hands up above his head. "I don't know who he is, and no-one told me anything."

The older one let out a frustrated sigh. He was getting sick of his newbie, so-called superior already. "That," he said, jerking a thumb at the supposed culprit, "is Keenan Holloway. Common law-breaker and annoyance."

Hearing his full name which he detested, he bit his tongue to stop himself from saying his usual response to people who called him that. It wouldn't do him any good to protest against the authorities; instead, he simply glared at the older male, as he felt himself being grabbed by the female officer.

Seeing that the focus wasn't on him, Ikuto looked around for an escape, but found none. That is, until his eye caught two small beings flying towards them.

"Ikuto!" Yoru exclaimed as he flew towards his owner, Musashi by his side. Before Yoru could get any closer, the little samurai chara noticed their owners' predicament and pulled Yoru back.

"We can't go any closer. They will catch us."

Ikuto glanced at his chara again, causing Yoru to freak out more. "But Ikuto needs help-nya!"

"Initiate the character change here, before they catch you." Musashi suggested, making sure his voice was so quiet in case the younger officer heard him.

No time was wasted; once he felt the cat ears appear on his head, Ikuto leapt up to the top of the nearby Visitors Building. Without glancing back at the others, he eyed the long street up ahead, and started roof-hopping in that direction.

"Uh ... that wasn't the Aruto guy, was it?" At hearing her leader saying that, the female police officer resisted the urge to take him by the shoulders and shake him madly, screaming her frustration into his ears and into his immature brain. Instead, she gritted her teeth and looked down the street Ikuto had disappeared in. She looked ready to run once the command was given.

"That wasn't Aruto sir, but his son, Ikuto. You know, the _other_ criminal!" The older male's annoyance was evident in his voice.

"Of course! I should have known!" The young officer let out a frustrated sigh. He waved a dismissive hand towards Kairi and Keen. "Ugh, forget about them! Let's just get him!" He said as he pointed down the street Ikuto had run down. "He's more wanted by King Tadase than these guys anyway!" And with that, he started running down the street after Ikuto.

The other two officers looked at each other and shrugged. They couldn't argue against their chief when he gave an order, even if he was somewhat inexperienced. Without any protest they followed after him, beginning the chase for Ikuto and leaving Kairi and Keen behind.

"Phew, that was a close one... " Keen relaxed and looked over at Kairi, who had gone pale despite the absence of colour in the world. "Are you alright Kairi?"

Kairi blinked, and started to remember where he was. He straightened up and pushed his glasses back up his nose, ignoring the slight shake in his fingers. His gaze never left the ground. "I-I'm fine..."

Meanwhile, while the female police officer was running down the street with her colleagues, she thought, not for the first time, that she was going to take matters into her own hands. She pulled out her walkie-talkie, turned it on and spoke into it. "Attention, we need back-up at Federation Square. Be on the lookout for two fugitives. I repeat, two fugitives ..."

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

"Oh my gosh, isn't that the Guardians?"

"No way! It can't be!"

Dang, they had been spotted. On the contrary though, he wasn't surprised at all. They were very well-known around the world, so being recognized by the general public was common to him.

It didn't mean he was used to it though.

"It can't be. There is at least four of them, right?"

"Yeah, but that long-haired one looks like Nagihiko Fujisaki ..."

"Last time I checked, the _he_ wasn't a _she_."

A pause formed between the two girls, as they thought this fact through. The taller one sighed. "Hm, maybe it's not them after all. I could've sworn that was Kukai though."

"They aren't wearing the royal uniform, so it can't be them anyway."

Heh, he didn't think being Nadeshiko would work so well.

Nagihiko glanced at the two bystanders as they walked away and flashed a small smile of relief. Before departing for Australia, Tadase had told him and Kukai to keep a low profile, in case Ikuto found out and escaped. This always got Naghiko pondering Tadase's motives; he seemed really determined to catch him for whatever reason. But even if they were under strict orders to capture the older teen, they wanted to find him too, for their own benefits. Maybe they could find some sort of way to get Ikuto to help them, whilst following Tadase's orders. They could take him back to Tokyo with them, and they could concoct a plan to restore Amu and save Tadase. It could be done in secret; he would never find out about it.

Was it worth the risk though? No matter how much he thought about it, he knew that Tadase would find out some way or another...not surprising since he has control over practically everything now. The situation was very dangerous; all it would take was one word, just one word to Tadase and they would be discovered. And if he took action against them for not following orders, then who would save the girls? He remembered discussing this with Kukai on the plane that they couldn't rely on Kairi. They had no means of contacting him, and they had no clue as to where he was. Until they found their friends, they could only depend on each other. Everyone else couldn't be trusted.

"This has turned out to be an interesting birthday week for you, hasn't it?"

It wasn't like they had much of a choice, let alone a say in the matter.

Kukai glanced at Nagihiko's face. It looked like he was in deep thought again. Knowing this, he spoke up once more, hands resting behind his neck as they walked. He yawned before speaking. "It's been three days, and still nothing..."

"Huh, sorry?" Nagihiko, who had replied in a feminine-sounding voice, said.

Kukai responded to this by first blinking in disbelief, then running a hand through his hair and sighing. "Do you have to do that, Fujisaki?"

"Sorry, force of habit." He replied with a smile, before returning to his normal voice and speaking in a low whisper. "I understand, but we can't give up. Not for the girls ..."

"I'm not giving up. But I'm starting to wonder that maybe Tsukiyomi isn't even here after all."

Nagihiko nodded. "I'm starting to think the same thing too ... perhaps he heard we were coming and fled?"

"Maybe. We'll have to wait 'til Tadase gives the order though. It's not like we can leave otherwise."

Both Guardians didn't have their charas with them today; Daichi wanted to go explore the intertwining streets, and Temari and Rhythm wanted to tag along. Had Temari been with them though, she would be able to sympathize with her owner's slowly building frustration towards the current events. He didn't care if Tadase was X'ed or whatever, _why_ did they have to do everything based on what he said? Was he aware of what he was doing?

"Hey Fujisaki," Kukai said as he nudged Nagihiko lightly in the arm. "Do you know what that sign says?" Nagihiko snapped out of his thoughts and looked over to where Kukai was pointing. He stared at the sign for a moment, and stifled a laugh.

Kukai looked at the sign, curious and confused. "What does it say?"

Having studied English when he was abroad all those years ago, Nagihiko was able to read the letters with ease. "I don't think it was intentional... but they spelt your name wrong."

"They named a store after me?"

Nagihiko nodded. "They spelt it with two o's though, not with a 'u'."

Kukai blinked, then looked back up at the sign. While he could not understand what it said, it indeed did have the English letters 'KOOKAI' displayed above the store's window. He read over each letter a few times, before starting to laugh himself.

Now it was Nagihiko's turn to be confused. "C'mon Souma-kun, it's not that funny..."

Kukai nudged Nagihiko again. "Lighten up buddy! At dark times like this, we have to take the small things that cheer us up and hang onto them right?" Kukai said with a grin and his trademark thumbs up, biting back a remark that Nagihiko should go into the shop and grab some women's clothes for himself.

Nagihiko smiled. He had to agree with him there.

"Nagihiko!"

"Kukai!"

Said boys turned swiftly to look at their charas, who were floating over to them in extreme alarm. "Daichi, what's up?" Kukai asked.

"You won't believe who we found!" Daichi said.

"What are you talking about?" Nagihiko said.

"We found—

Rhythm was cut off by the sound of police sirens wailing nearby, and a voice that shouted over the noise. "Quick! We must get him at all costs!"

That's when Kukai noticed the blur. If he had blinked he might have missed it; it was a blur that looked more human than object, and was weaving its way in and out of the crowds of people on the street. It bounded out of the crowd, and both Kukai and Naghiko saw that the human had cat ears and a tail. Both boys gasped in realisation, before they exclaimed the same two words together. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto!"

Ikuto unfortunately didn't hear them; Naghiko watched as he landed back into the crowd of people, and dashed off up the street.

"Finally, we found him!" Kukai remarked.

"Quick! We need to go after him, now!" Nagihiko said. Kukai didn't need any extra urging; he had already started running. Nagihiko raced after him, his determination also suddenly restored.

* * *

**A note from Aimz:** The song in this chapter (written by me) was based on a song written in joint by Sunny (also known as Sunny-Lozza here on this site) and I in 2009. All rights are reserved for both songs (Sunny, if you're reading this...well, told ya I would put part of it in :P).

So, the main reason why I took this long to update? Because I ran into writer's block with writing the song, and how this chapter should be structured. Seriously, I had five different versions of this chapter written out, plus it was that hard and confusing. Won't happen again, promise.

Also, that Kookai shop actually exists.


	9. 8: Double Shot of Darkness Part 1

**A note from Aimz: DO NOT READ/REVIEW THIS CHAPTER YET. PLEASE CHECK THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM FOR THE REASON!**

* * *

******.~.~.**

**Chapter 8: Double Shot of Darkness (Part 1) **

******.~.~.**

"There he is!"

"Get him!"

The shouts went by unheard to Ikuto, who continued to bound and leap from tall building to tall building, down to the occasional smaller building, then back up again. His mouth was set in a determined line, and his eyes stared straight ahead at any oncoming walls or rooftops. Only the heavy sound of blood pounding in his ears could be heard to him, and nothing more. He was focused on only one goal: to escape.

Landing on a slanted rooftop he paused to catch his breath. He looked over his shoulder, and saw tiny specks moving at a quickly towards him. The sounds of sirens and screeching tyrescomplimented the distant shouting voices. He turned away, knowing that while he hadn't lost them, the police squad had fallen behind him in the chase. Still in his character change, he propelled himself forward once more. The hat and glasses disguise had long since fallen off, not that it would have made much of a difference.

"Ikuto-nya! I need to tell you something!" Yoru yelled to his owner between cupped paws. Ikuto quickly glanced back, but what words he would have spoken were cut off by a loud whirring sound behind him. Covering his cat ears and holding down his wind-disturbed hair, he watched open-mouthed as a small helicopter soared over him. At the helicopter's door, a man clad in cap and earmuffs sat crouched on his knees with a camera resting on his shoulder. Next to him, a professional-looking woman stood with a microphone in her hand.

"And we're coming to you live from Newscopter 5 as we follow the Victoria Police pursing long-time criminal, Ikuto Tsukiyomi..."

Ikuto didn't hear the comments made about him, nor would he have wanted to. Instead, he sprinted forward to the other side of the building and jumped.

"Ikuto, this is important!"

"Later, Yoru!" Ikuto answered, yelling over the sirens that increased in volume. Again, he kicked against the surface, propelling himself forward over the large gap that separated him from the rooftop opposite. He landed with ease, and immediately started moving forward towards the other end of the building.

"I can sense that samurai chara-nya!"

Ikuto stopped. "Where?" The chara pointed a pawed hand towards the far edge of the building. With one more sideward glance at the now-distant helicopter, Ikuto sprinted in that direction, leapt high into the air, and fell down into the alleyway below. Without a second thought he ran towards the main street, half-expecting to find Kairi somewhere out there. He stopped before he stepped out; those now familiar sirens were getting closer, growing louder as the seconds flew by He rested against the cool brick wall, body tense and ready to move.

"Ikuto-san!"

Ikuto turned around to face Kairi, who was running towards him. He wrinkled his nose; the closer he got to him, the stronger the stench was. "Kairi? How long have you been here for?" he asked. The younger boy looked dishevelled, his once-neat appearance now stained and untidy.

"N-Not very long ..."

"Doesn't smell like it!" Yoru piped up. Musashi looked ready to say something in return, but instead he reflected his owner's emotions and gave him a weary glare.

"Where's the kid?" Ikuto asked.

"You mean Keen? I lost him. I told him we should stay together, but he ended up running off." Kairi paused to let out a frustrated sigh, and to swipe at a few flies that were buzzing around him. "If only he had followed the plan—"

"What plan?"

"Shortly after you left us, Ikuto-san, we were discovered by more police. They chased us both down the main street, until we found a hiding spot in a dumpster. It was his idea to split up, but it went against my plans. I tried to explain, but before I could in much detail, he left and ran off."

Ikuto nodded, and then turned away. He didn't say anything. Kairi walked over to where he was standing and looked out as well.

"You didn't tell me that Tadase was also looking for you."

The question halted Kairi's train of thought. He blinked twice in quick succession, too confused to respond.

Ikuto didn't avert his eyes from the busy street, nor did he repeat his comment. Kairi remained silent, before pushing his glasses further up his nose. "H-He is, but it isn't of a greater importance than your case." He let a shaking hand touch his leg, where the burn would still be, where it will always be. "He wants to find you more so than me."

Ikuto's eyes flickered back onto Kairi. "We need to get out of this country and back to Tokyo. Now."

"We need to hide somewhere, that's what we need to do." Kairi looked down the street and spotted a large, plain-looking building that people seemed to be constantly entering and leaving on a regular basis. The majority of these people carried a shopping bag or two. Seeing this gave him an idea. "Why don't we hide over there, in the mall?" he said, pointing towards the area. But when he turned to look back at Ikuto, he saw that he had already gone ahead of him and had started to make a dash across the road.

Kairi opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. From what he had come to known about Ikuto in such a short time, he knew that nothing he could say would change his mind. Reluctantly, he made sure the street was free of any police, before dashing out of the alleyway after him.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

The two Guardians had been trying to follow Ikuto as quickly as they could. They had long since lost sight of him, but still they kept looking for any sign of him as they manoeuvred their way through the crowds. Nagihiko, who had long since abandoned the hair-tie that made up his Nadeshiko disguise, was jogging up the street not far behind Kukai. As he ran, he noticed various passer-by's pointing at them and shouting words of encouragement and admiration.

"Over there, Fujisaki!" Nagihiko looked over at where Kukai was pointing: an intersection that was completely surrounded by a barricade of police cars.

"Right!"

They stopped running altogether once they turned the corner. Further down the street, Nagihiko could see that there were many police officers surrounding the front doors of a shopping mall. Some were wandering around aimlessly, others were speaking into walkie-talkies or loading their guns, and the remaining few were urging the exiting shoppers to get out of the building with quick haste. Sirens were ever-blaring around them, while panicking people ran through it all and curious locals watched on; it was a caricature of chaos.

Over at one of the police cars, the young chief that had been chasing Ikuto earlier was enjoying the scene around him. He sat himself down on the boot of the car, and looked around in wonder. "Wow... this is just like in the movies," he said as he nudged his female colleague playfully in the ribs. "We're going to get him, I can feel it!" She ignored him and looked away.

"They are blowing everything out of proportion ..." Nagihiko muttered under his breath, before catching up to Kukai, who had proceeded ahead towards the commotion.

"Fujisaki, will you be able to talk to them?" Kukai said as they walked.

Nagihiko looked at his friend, and gave him a reassuring look. "I know enough English, Souma-kun. I'll handle this." Kukai simply nodded and smiled. They approached a nearby officer, whose weathered face brightened on seeing them.

"Ah, welcome Guardians. What service can we be of for you today?"

Nagihiko stepped forward and smiled up at the older man, while preparing the English words mentally. "Hello, sir. Is Ikuto Tsukiyomi inside?"

"He is. We have chased him to this location, along with another criminal."

"We are on orders to claim him. May we please enter and do so?"

"Yes, of course. Go right ahead."

"Thank you." Nagihiko bowed his head, and then gestured to Kukai to follow him. They left the crazy ruckus behind them once they stepped through the automatic glass doors.

Now out of the public's earshot, he sighed. He rubbed the area between his eyes and frowned. "I don't like doing that. It never feels right."

"It'll be all over soon, Fujisaki. Once we get Tsukiyomi, then we can all band together and save Tadase."

Meanwhile, the young officer watched the two boys enter the shopping mall. Despite his wildest dreams coming true around him, his mind remained elsewhere, in the midst of deep thought. The voices of his fellow friends and colleagues melted into each other, as the words–a translated order–made itself clearer to him.

_"My Guardians will be travelling to your area to help in the search ... while they are there, I want you to watch them, and make sure they follow my orders." _

Yes, he had to do that. Ever since he joined the force as part of his dream, from his spontaneous recruitment three months ago to now, he knew that whatever King Tadase said was definite; true. No one had to question him, and the very few that did always had to pay. He knew was doing the right thing by catching the criminals, he wanted nothing more than to be loyal to him and to serve to the best of his ability, to please. And if that was what he wanted to see, then maybe—

"Oi, earth to Nathan!"

Hearing his name, the young officer snapped back to reality. "Y-Yeah?"

_"If they show any sign of defiance ..." _

"What's the next order?"

Nathan didn't need to think about it anymore. He mumbled some sort of request to stay on guard outside, and followed the male Guardians into the building. The officer spread what he was told to the rest of the force, while Nathan's two older colleagues–the ones that made up his trio–followed after him without question. A low growl of thunder rumbled in the clouds above them.

_"... Well, you know what to do."_

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

"Wow, this place is bigger than the mall back in Tokyo!"

"It does seem grand ... but we can't focus on this. Let's just try and find Tsukiyomi-san, Souma-kun."

The large, multi-levelled building was empty. It was unusual to see such an area completely bear, despite stores still being open and lights still shining grey tones through the area. Kukai took in the sights around him. For a brief moment he wondered what his four older brothers would think of this place, had they been there with him. Where _were_ his brothers, anyway? He hoped that they were somewhere safe and not in trouble.

And what about _her_?

"Kukai, isn't that your phone?" Daichi said over the ringing tone, but his owner had already thrust his hand into his jacket pocket.

Nagihiko walked out into the middle of the floor and looked up at the many floors above him. A clock hanging overhead caught his eye; it was an oversized, well-kept pocketwatch. As the second hand slowly moved to point skyward, a small Australian-themed marionette seemed to slide out from behind the clock, and a slow melody began to play and fill the entire building. The tune was relaxing, but it was in the least of Nagihiko's interest.

"Where is that cat?" he said aloud to himself over the music, in a tone that mimicked frustration on the brink of tiredness. He looked above at the ceiling, which seemed to spiral up above him in a glass cone shape. A brick tower aged with time stood in the middle of the complex, reaching up towards the distant roof.

Temari, sensing her owner's thoughts and feelings, came out of hiding from behind Nagihiko's hair and hovered at his side. "He's around here, I can sense his cat-chara," she said.

"Me too." Rhythm said. "But it's faint. Don't give up, yeah?"

Nagihiko didn't answer. The two charas looked at each other, both sensing something wrong, but nothing needed to be said to understand what that was. Temari flew back into her owner's hair, knowing that he didn't want Ikuto seeing her.

As the tune started to come to an end, he noticed that Kukai wasn't with him. He turned around. "Souma-kun, are you okay?"

Kukai looked up, the light coming from the mobile phone's screen reflecting faintly in his eyes. "Yeah?"

_He's distracted again,_ Nagihiko told himself. It was obvious that his mind was somewhat preoccupied by thoughts of _her_; it must of irritated him that he couldn't contact her with the phone that only accepted calls, not made them. Kukai had confided in him on the plane trip about it, and he felt sorry for his friend.

"Who was it?"

Kukai put the phone back in his pocket. "Just another message from Tadase, as usual. He's gonna phone us later for a mission update."

Nagihiko was ready to query further, until echoed footfalls cut across his unspoken words.

"Guys!"

They knew that voice. Nagihiko turned around, his eyes falling on a small figure running towards them. "Sanjou-kun!"

"Long time, no see!" Kukai said as he jogged over to Nagihiko. Kairi met up with the two boys and sighed in relief.

"I didn't think we would meet again so soon." Kairi said.

"We're glad to see ya, buddy!" Kukai laughed light-heartedly as he messed up Kairi's already messed-up hair.

"Please, I would rather you not do that …"

"What have you been doing? Have you found anything that might help us?" Nagihiko asked.

Kairi shook his head. "Not quite. To be brief, I've been in this country for the last two months. We can explain everything to you on the way home, I suppose."

"We? What do you mean?"

"I'll explain it all soon. Why are you both here though?"

"Tadase told us to come here. Apparently Utau's older brother is here, and he wants us to bring him back to Tokyo." Kukai said.

Kairi blinked his eyes, before speaking. "Ikuto-san? He's here, with me."

"With you?"

"Where is he?"

"He's hiding ..." Kairi looked around. He wasn't sure where Ikuto had disappeared off to; the last time he saw him his head had been bobbing in and out of the hordes of people evacuating after an announcement from the police played throughout the entire centre. "Ikuto-san! Please, show yourself! I have some good news!"

His voice echoed out around the empty area briefly, but there was no response. Kairi surveyed the area again; where was he?

"Kairi, if it is of any help, I can sense his chara."

"Where, Musashi?"

The chara pointed towards the tower. Kairi's eyes followed, only to see that he was right; the catboy could be seen looking down from the tower's top.

"Ikuto-san!"

Kairi wasn't sure if Ikuto could see him; he was so high up that he and the others would be the size of specks from that height. He must have been able to hear him though; it wasn't long before Ikuto jumped down, and landed in front of the tower's base.

"Yo," said Ikuto. He didn't know who the long-haired guy was, but he felt he knew the other one. "Aren't you Utau's friend?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that! How did you know?"

"Utau sent me a picture of you two together."

Kairi was surprised that Ikuto knew who Kukai was. He thought that this would be the first time Ikuto had met his friends.

"Anyway, my name's Souma Kukai."

"And I'm Fujisaki Nagihiko." Much like Ikuto didn't know them, the only things they knew about Ikuto was what they had heard from Tadase, back when everything was normal.

Ikuto studied the other boy up and down. "You look familiar, Nagihiko."

"I-I do?"

"Have we met?"

"No no, of course not!" Naghiko said with a frantic wave of the hand. He had hoped that Ikuto wouldn't remember the incident in the elementary school's home economics room all those years ago. "This is the first time I've seen you, except for when we had to save you, haha."

Ikuto gave Nagihiko a strange look, and looked at the two boys again. "So... you're Tadase's friends?" he asked.

"Closest ones to him!"

"Hotori-kun has told us a lot about you, Tsukiyomi-san."

"I'm sure he has."

While Nagihiko and Ikuto continued chatting, Kukai glanced over his shoulder, and caught three pairs of eyes watching them from behind. _Crap,_ he thought. _Isn't that the police? But why are they here?_ Not liking this, he nudged Nagihiko in the side.

"They're watching us..." he whispered.

The other boy stopped talking and looked at Kukai with questioning. "Who?"

"Those officers. Quick, maintain character."

Nagihiko nodded, dreading his next words to Kairi and Ikuto. "Sorry, but under order of King Tadase, you have to come back with us."

"It sounds sillier the more I hear it." Ikuto said, not taking his words seriously. However, Kairi had noticed the change of tone in his voice.

"Tsukiyomi, because you are wanted for theft. And Sanjou, because of disobeying the royal order."

Kairi wasn't sure what to say; what had brought on this sudden change of character? "G-Guys, what are you—

"Just go with it, ok?" Nagihiko cut across him, his voice suddenly urgent. "Until we are safely seated on a plane out of here."

The three police officers were hiding behind a nearby column. They were watching the interaction between the Guardians and the criminals, and according to Nathan, it was not going to plan. Why was it taking so long to catch them?

Perhaps the King's Guardians weren't following his orders, just as he had warned him about?

He couldn't take any second-guesses. Wordlessly, Nathan held up his gun, which was now radiating a dark glow; it was only necessary when _those_ circumstances arose. He aimed at one of the Guardians' backs, and placed his finger on the trigger. The female officer saw this. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Following orders."

Two loud shots rang out, but it was too late; with a startled gasp, Kukai and Nagihiko flinched, before falling down to the ground with a thump.

"What th–!"

"Fujisaki-san!" They both kneeled down to get a better look at the fallen boys. Kairi started searching for any sort of blood wound, until something he saw made him gasp. Kairi stood up, catching Ikuto's attention.

"What is it, Kairi?" And then Ikuto noticed the something small, black and _moving_ on the back of Kukai's shirt.

Kairi's face paled slightly, his eyes never leaving the glowing blob of black energy on Nagihiko's back. "I-Ikuto-san—"

He was cut off by three screams; all coming from charas.

"Ack! H-Help us!"

"I-I can't move!"

"My egg!" Ikuto looked up and saw that the boys' charas were going back into their eggs. Daichi tried putting himself in-between the two halves in order to stop it from closing, Rhythm tried holding the top half of the egg up, but it was no use. As swiftly as it had started, all three charas were encased inside their respective eggs, and immediately darkened.

Ikuto stood up. "What the hell? I don't remember seeing that one," he said, pointing at the egg that had mysteriously floated out from behind Nagihiko's hair.

"Ikuto, remember that chara? That's the one who belonged to that girl that day you—"

"Be quiet, Yoru."

"I have a bad feeling about this ..." Kairi said.

Seeing the fainted boys, the concerned fugitives and the black eggs, Nathan smiled and dusted his hands.

"Was that necessary, Nath?" The older male officer questioned.

"Of course it was. They were taking too long, and besides, the King said to me that if his Guardians showed any signs of suspicious behaviour, then we have permission to attack them with the X-Bullets."

"Uh—"

"He told the whole force that." The female officer finished his words with a flat tone that even had Nathan looking at her with surprise.

"It doesn't matter. If what the King said is true, then we don't have to do anything now. Those bullets have negative energy in them; the Guardians and their charas can handle it from now on." He looked back at the group of boys nearby, before turning away. "C'mon, let's get out of here. I feel like rewarding myself at the arcade after today's work."

And with that, the trio left the building, the older officers still as confused as they always had been about what their younger chief meant by "charas" and "negative energy".

Ikuto and Kairi watched as each one of the contorting, black masses of energy, completely absorbed into the male Guardians bodies, leaving no trace of any injury. Kairi's gaze shifted back to the blackened chara eggs, which remained silently suspended on invisible strings. "O-Oh no ..."

"At least they aren't hurt, but what should we do?" Ikuto said.

"I ... I don't know. We don't know how to purify, and we can't exactly—"

Suddenly, both bodies shuddered. Kukai and Nagihiko silently helped themselves to stand again. Both of them looked like they had never been shot.

The only problem now was that their eyes were now darkened over.

"Fujisaki-san! Souma-san!"

"Snap out it, guys!"

Ikuto and Kairi stood, eyes set on the two boys in front of them. It was then that Kairi's mind clicked. "T-This must have been what Keen was trying to tell me ..."

"What?"

Kairi didn't answer Ikuto's question; his eyes were on Kukai and Nagihiko's empty expressions, as if something inside of them was eating their life-forces. Without an emotion, they looked over their shoulders at their chara eggs. Two of the three eggs bobbed forward; Ikuto could see that underneath the black coating the eggs belonged to the chara with the star clip in his hair and the chara that resembled Nagihiko more so than the kimono-wearing one did.

"I don't think sports are fun anymore. Too many to choose from and too many rules to follow, so how can it be enjoyable? Nah, it's more fun to break the rules, don't you think?"

Ikuto and Kairi looked around. They knew it was Kukai's … but, it wasn't his normal, energetic self; it was quite the opposite of energetic, or anything positive.

"I agree; rules are made to be broken. What's the point in playing basketball if I can't reach my potential? I'll always be stuck, my old rhythm is lost ..."

Nagihiko's voice … it sounded sad. Masked by a hint of regret, perhaps? Kairi wasn't sure.

"You two …" But Ikuto's words were lost before they were thought of.

The eggs didn't hatch; instead, the boys extended a hand out to their respectful chara egg. The eggs followed their senses and obeyed, moving so that they now floated just above their owner's outstretched palm, where they became branded with a huge, white X. In equally hollowed voices, both Kukai and Nagihiko said the words Ikuto and Kairi would never have expected: "My own heart: Unlock!"

* * *

**An IMPORTANT note from Aimz:** Hi everyone! Sorry for the chapterless update, but I couldn't think of any other way to let y'all know of what I've decided to do, without breaking any of FF's rules. Here's the news:

-I'm not dead (or rather, the story isn't dead).

-I'm back to finish this story.

-I'm sorry I left this story in limbo for almost two years.

-The entire story is going to be re-written. The prologue and the first chapter has already received this treatment, and the other chapters will follow. They should be all done by the end of October the latest, as well as a new chapter. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I feel that I can't continue unless I do them.

I would love it if you'd go and check out the re-writes as they are posted; the summary will be updated as the new chapters are replaced. I promise they'll be just as good as they used to be.

Thanks for your patience!

-Aimz :)

(Note dated: 12/09/2013)


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